Dana W. White, who Defense Secretary Jim Mattis named as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs on Wednesday night, last fall called then-candidate Donald Trump a “narcissist,” an “egomaniac” and said he is “damaging for the Republican brand.” Yet sources say she has become a “consensus pick” and is now serving as an emissary to “Never Trump” Republicans.
During an Oct. 12 interview on France 24 English, White expressed her reservations about Trump but said it was time to pull together as a party. (Note: In the video above, the exchange begins at 6:54.)
“I think he has been damaging for the Republican brand, absolutely. His inability to sort of focus, his personal attacks, the fact that he’s a narcissist, an egomaniac, none of that is good as the standard-bearer for the Republican Party,” she said.
Two people who describe themselves as close to White said the remarks were known to the Trump administration and that the White House actually first suggested White for the job.
Both sources described White as a “consensus pick,” who Mattis quickly embraced, and both sources insisted there was no concern about White’s previous disparagement of Trump’s temperament.
White’s comments took place shortly after a tape surfaced in which Trump used lewd comments to refer to women while talking to “Access Hollywood’s” Billy Bush, a time when many RRepublicans were critical of their candidate.
White is a former Senate Armed Services committee staffer, Wall Street Journal commentary writer, and Taiwan country director for the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy. Once a foreign policy adviser for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., she said in the interview she was willing to set aside her misgivings once Trump won the nomination because it was important for Republicans to beat Hillary Clinton.
“Republicans are going to have to help him because he is our nominee,” White said.
One person close to White called her “a loyal Republican” who had worked as a surrogate for the Trump campaign and had managed to pull some “Never Trumpers” into the president’s camp.
“She’s established, respected, and well-liked in Washington,” said another friend. “Easy choice.”
In the October TV appearance, White mused about how a President Trump would fill his Cabinet, given that so many Republicans had rendered similar harsh judgments on his leadership qualities.
“I don’t think he forgives easily, so I’m also very curious if he wins, who is he going to fill the Cabinet with,” White said. “Because I imagine he doesn’t look favorably on people who have not been loyal to him.”
Mattis, unlike Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, has been able to move quickly to some top aides, including a chief of staff, military assistant and senior media adviser, although most politically-appointed, Senate-confirmed positions remain vacant. White, as a Senior Executive Service employee, does not require Senate confirmation.
One insider said while some personnel choices are “pushed” from the White House and others are “pulled” from the agency, White was both, which is why she was the first direct appointment to be selected and announced by Mattis.
In contrast, Tillerson’s choice of Elliott Abrams, who had served under Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush, to be his deputy, was reportedly overruled by the president in February because of Abrams’ highly critical writing about Trump during the campaign.
A New York Times account said Abrams had a positive meeting with Trump, but then the president nixed his hiring after learning of a May 2016 commentary Abrams wrote in The Weekly Standard headlined “When You Can’t Stand Your Candidate,” which compared Trump’s campaign to George McGovern’s failed 1972 effort.
