President Trump often spoke of badgers during conversations with chief of staff Reince Priebus, according to a new book.
During Priebus’s six-month White House tenure in 2017, the president would often “waste Priebus’s time” in briefings about foreign and domestic policy by asking questions about the furry animal, according to Sinking In The Swamp: How Trump’s Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington by Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng.
The badger is the state animal of Priebus’s home state, Wisconsin.
Trump made a point to bring up the Badger State animal seemingly at random, according to the book. “Are they mean to people?” he would ask. “Or are they friendly creatures?” Priebus was also asked if he had any photos of badgers to show the president and if he could explain how badgers “work.”
Priebus was also asked to explain why Wisconsin was obsessed with the critter, how badgers behave and function, what they eat, and how aggressive and deadly they could be. He also wondered about the “personality” of the animal and asked if it was “boring.”
According to the book, Trump has a habit of catechizing advisers on topics that are interesting to him, including, for example, garbage.
“Where does it go?” “What exactly is up there, circling the globe?” and, “Is this a national security threat?” were among the questions he would ask.
Priebus was replaced by then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly at the end of July 2017. Kelly was then replaced by Mick Mulvaney, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, in the beginning of 2019. He remains active in both roles.
[Read more: Sean Spicer and Reince Priebus return to Trumpworld with posts on White House fellows commission]
