Why is Trump Hiding?

And now the American president has gone into hiding. It certainly does nothing to help his credibility or to dispel concerns about what is swiftly becoming known as Russia-gate.

When I counsel senior executives who need to restore their reputations after credibility issues, I suggest that they come clean, tell their story and engage with employees, boards, stockholders and the public. Donald Trump is doing the exact opposite. He continues to create a deficit in the trust factor as he lashes out and destroys his own credibility with accusations and unhinged tweets late at night.

Here’s a radical idea for Trump if he truly wants to restore his credibility with the American people: release his tax returns. To do any less, and to continue to try to distract us with lunatic theories, claims of facts being fiction, and a shoddy rush to legislation, implies he truly has something to hide.

It also makes us wonder about those who seem to be following in Trump’s footsteps. Why isn’t Speaker of the House Paul Ryan doing his job and ordering a deep investigation into the mounting ties with Russia? Could he be complicit? And how about the invisible Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson? Why does he refuse to allow press before, during or after a State Department trip? Journalists were shocked when he refused to allow any coverage of his forthcoming trip to Asia.

As I’ve predicted before, based on my study of workplace dynamics that I discuss in my book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire, it’s clear what Trump will do next. Like most bullies, he will do anything and everything to hold onto, and even expand, his power and control. The more he’s challenged, the more he will push back. Therefore we need to be relentless in demanding investigations and fighting to replace the oligarchs in power. To do any less is to allow the wave of nationalism that former President Bill Clinton recently warned us about to overtake us and destroy democracy. 

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Is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson a Wimp?

Rex Tillerson was known as many things when he was nominated by Donald Trump for Secretary of State: CEO, friend of Vladimir Putin, a strong, pragmatic executive, but right now the only word that seems to describe him is—wimp.

Consider the evidence. When Trump vetoed Tillerson’s hand-picked choice for deputy secretary, foreign policy veteran Elliott Abrams, Tillerson did nothing. This left the new secretary of state running a department void of experienced hands. (There was a mass exodus of experienced staff after the election.) It’s true that Trump nixed Abrams because of his sharp warnings about the former candidate during the election, but as someone who has put dozens of successful senior executives in place, I’m actually stunned that Tillerson didn’t demand being allowed to hand pick his own staff as part of the deal when he accepted the nomination. Trump’s endless need for power stripped Tillerson of the prestige and authority he needs to succeed at his new post.

As Tillerson cowers before the Bully-in-Chief, we begin to wonder if he has any influence. According to Politico, Trump never conferred with Tillerson when he changed his policy about Palestinian statehood or castigated Iran for its ballistic missile test. Tillerson was conspicuously absent when Trump met with the leaders of Israel and Canada and little seen during the visits from Japan and the United Kingdom. Vice President Mike Pence will be touring Europe without Tillerson, and when Tillerson did go to Mexico and Germany he took no questions and gave no official version of his discussions. In fact, most of what we know about any of his interactions have come from foreign governments. Press briefings by the State Department have been put on hold for now. 

It appears that Tillerson, like Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is bowing to the pressure of his bully boss. DeVos recently tried to stand her ground when she refused to sign off on the repeal of the nondiscrimination laws against transgender students, fearing for the students’ safety. Attorney General Jeff Sessions pressured her, and when she still refused, he went to Trump, who demanded she drop her opposition. Since then she has characterized the nondiscrimination rules as overreach by the Obama administration. So rather than resign, she’s been bullied into toeing the party line.

Clearly Tillerson and DeVos are dealing with a toxic workplace. The ramifications are frightening, which is why the quest for psychologically healthy, safe and fair workplaces is so dire. You can learn more about how toxic workplaces operate and how they can be fixed in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire. But until this becomes a priority in the White House, I have no doubt we’ll see more cabinet members being bullied into submission by Trump and his cronies.

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