Chris Christie was sitting on a sofa beside Donald Trump when Pennsylvania was finally called. It was one thirty-five in the morning, but that wasn't the only reason the feeling in the room was odd. Mike Pence went to kiss his wife, Karen, and she turned away from him. "You got what you wanted, Mike," she said, "now leave me alone." She wouldn't so much as say hello to Trump. Trump himself just stared at the tube without saying anything, like a man with a pair of twos whose bluff has been called. His campaign hadn't even bothered to prepare an acceptance speech. It wasn't hard to see why Trump hadn't seen the point in preparing to take over the federal government:
Why study for a test you'll never need to take? Why take the risk of discovering you might at your very best be a C student? This was the real part of becoming president of the United States. And, Christie thought, it scared the crap out of the president-elect.
Not long after the people on TV announced that Trump had won Pennsylvania, Jared Kushner grabbed Christie anxiously and said, "We have to have a transition meeting tomorrow morning!" Even before that meeting, Christie had made sure that Trump knew the protocol for his discussions with foreign leaders. The transition team had prepared a document to let him know how these were meant to go. The first few calls were easy - the very first was always with the prime minister of Great Britain - but two dozen calls in you were talking to some kleptocrat and tiptoeing around sensitive security issues. Before any of the calls could be made, however, the president of Egypt called in to the switchboard at Trump Tower and somehow got the operator to put him straight through to Trump. "Trump was like I LOVE THE BANGLES! YOU KNOW THAT SONG 'WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN'?" recalled one of his advisers on the scene.
That had been the first hint Christie had of trouble. He'd asked Jared Kushner what that was about, and Jared had simply said, DONALD RAN A VERY UNCONVENTIONAL CAMPAIGN, AND HE'S NOT GOING TO FOLLOW ANY OF THE PROTOCOLS. The next hint that the transition might not go as planned came from Mike Pence. Now, incredibly, Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Christie met with Pence the day after the election, to discuss the previous lists of people who had been vetted for jobs. The meeting began with a prayer, followed by Pence's first, ominous question. Why Isn't Puzder on the list for Labor? Andrew Puzder, the head of CKE Restaurants, the holding company for Hardee's and Carl's Jr., wanted to be the secretary of labor. Christie explained that Puzder's ex-wife had accused him of abuse, and his fast-food restaurant employees had complained of mistreatment. Even if he was somehow the ideal candidate to become the next secretary of labor, he wouldn't survive his Senate confirmation hearings. (Trump ignored the advice and nominated Puzder. In the controversy that followed, Puzder not only failed to be confirmed but stepped down from his job at the fast-food company.)
After meeting with Pence, Christie was scheduled to brief the Trump children and Jared and the other members of Trump's inner circle. He was surprised to find, suddenly included in this group, retired army lieutenant general Michael Flynn. Flynn was a job seeker the transition team had found reasons to be extremely wary of. Now he wanted to be named Trump's national security adviser, which was maybe the most important job in the entire national security apparatus. The national security team inside the Trump transition - staffed with senior former military and intelligence officials - had thought that an especially bad idea. Flynn's name wasn't on the list. But here he was, in the meeting to decide who would do what in the Trump administration, and Ivanka was asking him which job he'd like to have.
Before Christie could intercede, Steve Bannon grabbed him and asked to see him privately. Christie followed Bannon to his office Impatiently. Hey, this is going to have to be quick, said Christie, It's really quick, said Bannon. You're out. Why? asked Christie, stunned.
We're making a change.
Michael Lewis "The Fifth Risk" (2018)
