President Trump reportedly once snapped at former national security adviser H.R. McMaster for taking notes during meetings at the White House.
A frequent note-taker, McMaster infuriated the president with his practice. “Why are you always writing in that book?” Trump once said to McMaster, according to a report from the New York Times. McMaster’s mumbled response, which people in the room could not recall, did not please Trump.
Since leaving the Trump administration, McMaster has spoken out about his time the White House, sometimes corroborating reports from the West Wing. For instance, after it was reported former National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn removed a trade-related document from Trump’s desk to stop him from signing it, McMaster defended the action, describing it was “wholly appropriate.”
McMaster, who was replaced by John Bolton as national security adviser last year, also took heat for the leaks from the West Wing. He issued a memo to staff about leaks that was later leaked to the press. McMaster later shared two reasons why he believed there were so many leaks.
