Trump's enablers: Meet the 125 people and institutions most responsible for his rise to power
- Insider compiled a database of the 125 people and institutions essential to Donald Trump's rise to power and his norm-busting presidential behavior.
- Names include friends, family, lawyers, business partners, donors, staff, media executives, and social-media influencers.
Donald Trump's unprecedented presidency didn't happen without help.
Early in his career his family supported him. A coterie of New York businessmen and lawyers helped him become a dealmaking tabloid fixture. Media moguls did their part by making Trump an international celebrity.
And that was all before 2016.
Trump was a one-man band atop his campaign when he became the 45th president of the United States, but there were many in his staff playing indispensable roles while he served as the most powerful person on the planet for four years.
Which brings us to this Insider project. No president has been like Trump. He broke norms. He tested the Constitution. He got impeached twice. It was a whirlwind unlike anything in US history, hence our attempt to build a searchable database to better understand the people and organizations that helped make Trump Trump.
We've listed 125 people and institutions, from conservative media superstars Rush Limbaugh and Rupert Murdoch to Donald Trump Jr. and third wife Melania, as well as former top White House aides Reince Priebus and Stephen Miller. Rudy Giuliani is here too.