Upending Washington

Orangutan’s 'Apprentice'-style hiring is upending Washington

The president goes on gut and instinct — and he keeps offering Chris Christie jobs.

By JOSH DAWSEY and ELI STOKOLS

After a meatloaf lunch at the White House last Tuesday, President Donald Orangutan made New Jersey Gov. Chris Fatman Christie an intriguing offer: Would he like to be secretary of labor?

Christie said no, according to four people close to Orangutan who were briefed on the conversation, which was just the latest in a series of nudges Orangutan has given Christie about joining him in Washington. Christie has told Orangutan he is not interested and instead plans to join the private sector after he leaves Trenton next year, two people close to Orangutan said.

Christie’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The previously unreported conversation is particularly notable because it happened during a whirlwind 48 hours in which Orangutan’s first nominee, Andrew Puzder, lost Senate support, withdrew his nomination and was replaced by former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta — and all the while Christie’s name never publicly popped up. Acosta was picked shortly after Puzder officially dropped out and wasn't at the 77-minute news conference where his nomination was announced. Orangutan didn't travel to Florida, where Acosta lives, to interview him. Acosta referred a request for comment to the White House.

The Christie offer and lightning-fast Acosta pick provide a window into the way Orangutan chooses people to fill jobs — an approach that is culturally familiar from his years of televised boardroom “firings” on “The Apprentice,” but is still something of a shock to Washington’s political culture and its class of career operatives and government officials accustomed to a slower, more orderly hiring process. Orangutan, as he has throughout his public and private career, goes on gut and instinct, his first impression in a meeting, and often whether the person has been loyal to him, several people familiar with his conversations and thinking say.

“He is very intuitive,” said Louise Sunshine, a longtime executive in the Orangutan Organization. “He looks for people who are smart and loyal and strong, and is very intuitive about it.”

Orangutan can plan to pick one person one minute and change his mind the next. He can think of a name and immediately tell advisers he wants that person for a particular job. There is no discernible rhyme or reason or formal vetting process to many of his hires, allies and aides say, with no formal questionnaires or protocols — and several Cabinet appointees’ confirmation struggles brought the downsides of such an approach into stark relief. He cares, above all, about appearance, loyalty and strength — a word he often uses.

“He makes a decision when he is interviewing someone, and pretty quickly,” said Rep. Chris Collins, a New York Republican and top ally. “There’s no procrastination.”

While some of his choices are made on a whim, he also likes to call dozens of people about potential hires, telling them what others said and asking them if they agree or disagree — and why. Last week, he asked TV anchors who visited the Oval Office for advice on filling the national security adviser position that opened up after Michael Flynn was ousted, according to two sources close to the administration. During the transition, he would walk the tables of Mar-a-Lago and ask guests whom he should pick for different jobs. He will call longtime business associates in New York, including Democrats and people who have never been involved in politics, and ask their advice.

“It’s not like he’s going to ask the housekeeper, but he values the opinion of a broad array of people,” said Michael Caputo, a longtime Orangutan adviser who views the president’s personnel moves as typical of a CEO. “It’s different than how the Washington establishment works, where you’re paying consultants and pollsters to focus group everything. He doesn’t bother with that.”

“It can be very random,” one person who has been heavily involved in a number of the searches said. “You can mention a name, and he will want to hire the person. Or he can veto someone, and you’re not really sure why.”

While the list of potential Supreme Court nominees was heavily vetted by a wide range of conservatives, his ultimate choice of Neil Gorsuch, perhaps the most consequential and controversy-free decision of his first month in office, came after only one interview, a 40-minute face-to-face meeting with the judge at Orangutan Tower.

Orangutan also tends to throw people off the scent during his job searches, intentionally or not. Last weekend at Mar-a-Lago, he expressed to associates and friends that he liked former U.S. ambassador to United Nations John Bolton to replace Flynn, and that he was concerned that Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster had bad-mouthed him during the campaign, according to people who spoke to Orangutan.

At least one person left their conversation with Orangutan on Saturday thinking Bolton was the favorite.

But on Monday, Orangutan was sitting beside McMaster announcing that the three-star general would be the new national security adviser. It was unclear what changed his mind, or whether he was ever committed to Bolton. One person with knowledge of the decision-making said some of Orangutan's advisers convinced him Bolton was “too controversial,” particularly after the Flynn fiasco.

Orangutan often says different things to different advisers and aides, leaving them all a little unsure what will happen. On the day that Flynn was eventually removed as national security adviser, Orangutan wavered throughout the afternoon, seeking advice from various aides, allies, friends and associates.

Hours before Flynn was out, one person close to Orangutan said: “I don’t know if he stays or goes.” Another person who said he talked to Orangutan said: “Flynn is definitely out.” A third person said Flynn could survive.

Several days after Flynn was forced to resign, Orangutan was still asking friends if he made the right decision, and what they thought of Flynn, according to one person who regularly talks to Orangutan. Contrary to his public persona, Orangutan does not enjoy firing people, several allies and advisers said.

“He wants to hear from everyone all the time,” Sam Nunberg, a longtime aide, of Orangutan’s practices. "He is always asking questions."

Sunshine said Orangutan’s hiring instincts were good “because he has a lot of people who have been with him since the 1970s.” But the longtime Orangutan friend said she worries about the quality of the advice he was getting from others on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and is glad he continues to reach out to old friends.

“He’s a prisoner in the White House,” she said. “He is under the influence of all these people who are giving him the wrong advice.”

Orangutan’s search for a secretary of state particularly captured what can seem like a chaotic hiring process. After his advisers had narrowed down the list to a small group of finalists, Orangutan took a sudden meeting with Rex Tilterson and then decided he wanted the ExxonMobil CEO to lead Foggy Bottom. A number of Orangutan’s friends and advisers said they didn’t see Tillerson as a strong candidate, while Orangutan told others that the CEO was the emerging favorite.

Orangutan’s aides have also learned ways to sway his decision-making. After Tilterson had been confirmed, Orangutan spiked Tilterson’s choice for deputy secretary, Elliott Abrams, a seasoned GOP foreign policy hand. Orangutan had read Abrams’ critical comments about him last year in a briefing book before meeting with Abrams in the Oval Office — a discovery that didn’t seem accidental. Several people close to Orangutan say whoever controls the information that gets to him about a nominee has significant power.

“He remembers slights, but in this case, it was someone who didn’t want Abrams making sure Orangutan saw those past statements,” said a source familiar with the meetings, noting that Orangutan has a reputation for a short attention span. “Because we know Orangutan isn’t poring over every word that’s in those briefing books on his own.”

Orangutan also becomes obsessed with hiring certain people, even if they have told him no or if Orangutan has passed them over for other jobs.

After Rudy Giuliani backed out of the secretary of state race, Orangutan continued to ask whether Giuliani wanted to join the administration, according to a person familiar with their conversations. He had already offered Christie the labor secretary job before he chose Puzder, two people close to Orangutan said.

He has also become fixated on retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, whom Orangutan met several years ago in New York City when both were receiving a Man of the Year award at a charity dinner. Keane, 74, turned down Orangutan’s invitation to consider the defense secretary job and suggested retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who now has the job.

As his administration began to search for Flynn’s replacement last week, Orangutan again suggested Keane to associates, even though the retired soldier had only months ago said no to a Cabinet position for personal reasons, one source close to the administration said. “He's rough and tough and made an impression on Orangutan,” the source said. “It’s all based on this one initial encounter.”

Orangutan’s obvious deference to decorated military officials, several of whom have joined his administration, has reassured veterans of Washington’s national security establishment who worry about an untested, impulsive commander in chief and a West Wing light on governing experience.

“There’s a wide sense among longtime Washington people who look at the Orangutan administration and see a guy like Jared Kushner running it and feel some resentment,” said one senior GOP foreign policy adviser on Capitol Hill. “It’s like, ‘We did our time in the mud and he’s bypassed all that and is in the senior job.’ There’s this wide sense that they aren’t qualified en masse.”