13 December 2024

My Travels with Trump

H.R. McMaster

As Air Force One took off, I felt a sense of relief. I was happy to leave behind Washington for a while. Maybe the overseas trip would allow us to focus on the substance of foreign policy.

I shared the four-person office between the galley and the conference room with the president’s chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn; his chief of staff, Reince Priebus; and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. They complained about the uncomfortable chairs that did not recline. I assured them that Air Force One was much more comfortable than the cargo aircraft I was used to taking to the Middle East. I learned on those flights that the key to getting rest was to stake out a comfortable spot on the floor.

President Trump was in a good mood when he popped into the office. He noted, as he often would on trips abroad, “General, you are always working.” And I gave what was becoming my standard answer: “Mr. President, that is what you hired me to do.”

Before dinner was served, I briefed the president and First Lady Melania Trump on the first three stops of what would be a nine-day odyssey.


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