On Feb. 22, 2016, I met with and interviewed Roger Stone, who is President Trump's longtime friend, former business associate, and adviser for over 40 years.
Stone candidly discussed Trump's personality characteristics and management style in the context of the raging presidential primary campaign.
Fast-forward now 18 months to the seventh month of Trump's presidency. Chaos rules the daily news cycle, compelling Trump to name John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general as his new White House chief of staff. However, giving a decorated, distinguished Marine a mission to instill order and discipline throughout the White House is the easy part. The real question is whether the president will allow Kelly to impose self-discipline on him.
For answers, I reviewed what Stone had told me in February 2016 about Trump's personality, knowing full well that a successful 71-year-old businessman is not likely to change.
Here is one thing Stone said to me in our meeting of February 2016:
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01.19.2025