Ex-Trump aide says the president is like a gossipy female who can't keep a secret
- President Donald Trump has a lot of trouble keeping certain secrets and is basically a "yenta," a Yiddish word for a female who is a gossip, according to one of his former 2016 campaign aides.
- Trump was criticized on Friday after boasting about a jobs report in a tweet before its official release.
- Trump's propensity for boasting has some worried he's not capable of protecting vital information in his role as president, including classified intelligence linked to national security.
President Donald Trump has a lot of trouble keeping certain secrets, according to one of his former 2016 campaign aides.
"He's good at keeping secrets that involve him," Sam Nunberg told Politico. "On the other hand, the guy's a f---ing yenta," which is the Yiddish word for a female who is a gossip.
This comes after Trump was criticized on Friday for boasting about a jobs report in a tweet before its official release, breaking presidential protocol and possibly violating a federal directive.
The president has long been known for being decidedly braggadocious, often reminding people of his wealth or proudly stating things such as, "I have the best words." But Trump's loose lips have some worried he's not capable of protecting vital information in his role as president, including classified intelligence linked to national security.
Trump came under fire roughly a year ago when he reportedly offered classified Israeli intelligence about a counterterrorism operation in Syria to two Russian diplomats during an Oval Office meeting. More recently, when the president attended a private fundraiser, he allegedly bragged about a classified battle between US forces and Russian mercenaries in eastern Syria, even as the White House worked to keep details of the clash a secret.
Members of previous presidential administrations expressed concern to Politico about Trump's antics.
Ari Fleischer, who served as the White House press secretary under President George W. Bush and is a frequent Trump critic, told the outlet, "I'm very uncomfortable when the president wings it on matters that are sensitive or deal with intelligence."
Similarly, Ben LaBolt, a deputy spokesman from the Obama administration, said, "Trump's premature announcements may be his way of showing off, but if you're a service member in the middle of an operation, a shareholder that expects fair play in the market, or a diplomat trying to quietly close a deal, they're dangerous and destructive."