--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Others were now recruited and, despite…" description: "\"“Others were now recruited and, despite their obvious impressions of the man, agreed to sign on. Jim Mattis, a retired four-star general, one of the mo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/michael-wolff-423_armed-forces_others-were-now-recruited-and-despite-th_2849861.jpg" --- # Others were now recruited and, despite their obvious… ![“Others were now recruited and, despite their obvious impressions of the man, agreed to sign on. Jim Mattis, a retired four-star general, one of the most respected commanders in the U.S. armed forces; Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil; Scott Pruitt and Betsy DeVos, Jeb Bush loyalists—all of them…” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/michael-wolff-423_armed-forces_others-were-now-recruited-and-despite-th_2849861.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/michael-wolff-423_armed-forces_others-were-now-recruited-and-despite-th_2849861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/michael-wolff-423_armed-forces_others-were-now-recruited-and-despite-th_2849861.jpg) > ““Others were now recruited and, despite their obvious impressions of the man, agreed to sign on. Jim Mattis, a retired four-star general, one of the most respected commanders in the U.S. armed forces; Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil; Scott Pruitt and Betsy DeVos, Jeb Bush loyalists—all of them were now focused on the singular fact that while he might be a peculiar figure, even an absurd-seeming one, he had been elected president”” [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Various high‑profile figures rallied around a controversial president despite doubts. **In simple terms:** People support a controversial leader despite concerns. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate leaders beyond surface impressions. Themes politics leadership polarization Mood analytical critical Type political observational When to use this quote - political campaigns - corporate endorsements - policy debates Key Concepts trust media influence groupthink Questions to Reflect On - What factors cause people to support controversial leaders? - How can dissent be expressed constructively? A Different Perspective Blind loyalty can ignore red flags. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armed forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/) ## Related quotes > [“Bannon veered from “Mad Dog” Mattis—the retired four-star general whom Trump had nominated as secretary of defense—to a long riff on torture, the surprising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/bannon-veered-from-mad-dog-mattis-the-retired-four-star-general-whom/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [In picking Gen. Jim Mattis for Defense secretary, President-elect Donald Trump has said that he found his 'Gen. George Patton.' Yet that label may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-picking-gen-jim-mattis-for-defense-secretary-president-elect/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I'm rebuilding the military. We have great people. We have tremendous borders. I mention the F-35 because if I can save $725 million —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-rebuilding-the-military-we-have-great-people-we-have-tremendous/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Not only did the president-elect wear his deep and bitter grievances on his sleeve, but it was now clear that the fact of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/not-only-did-the-president-elect-wear-his-deep-and-bitter-grievances/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I was a very underrated, under-recruited kid for my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-was-a-very-underrated-under-recruited-kid-for-my-whole-life/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“TL;DR: I got recruited out of a park to prevent Tristan from getting his ass kicked in a swordfight and they found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/tl-dr-i-got-recruited-out-of-a-park-to-prevent-tristan-from-getting/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [No one ever wanted to hire me. Ever. I've never been recruited anywhere. I have beat my head against every wall, at every place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/no-one-ever-wanted-to-hire-me-ever-i-ve-never-been-recruited-anywhere/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [My little scam in April '85 went like this: Give me $50,000; here's some names of some people we've recruited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/my-little-scam-in-april-85-went-like-this-give-me-50-000-here-s-some/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [Coming out of high school, I wasn't really highly recruited because I was still learning the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wagner/coming-out-of-high-school-i-wasn-t-really-highly-recruited-because-i/) [Bobby Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wagner/) > [Just coming from where I'm from gave me that chip on my shoulder. Not being recruited or receiving recognition added to it and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ja-morant/just-coming-from-where-i-m-from-gave-me-that-chip-on-my-shoulder-not/) [Ja Morant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ja-morant/) > [When I started playing ball as a junior, I'm kind of glad that I was never good enough to be highly recruited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/when-i-started-playing-ball-as-a-junior-i-m-kind-of-glad-that-i-was/) [Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/) > [When the National Security Agency recruited me, they put me through a day of lie detector tests. They found out all my weaknesses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/when-the-national-security-agency-recruited-me-they-put-me-through-a/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [“The look I told you I saw in your eyes. Years ago, when you were recruited for the Special Activities Division. I told you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/the-look-i-told-you-i-saw-in-your-eyes-years-ago-when-you-were/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“I was recruited by the dead,’ Zak said. ‘Not in any rush to join them in their silence, but from the urgent need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-egan/i-was-recruited-by-the-dead-zak-said-not-in-any-rush-to-join-them-in/) [Greg Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-egan/) ## More by Michael Wolff > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. Journalist - that record keeper, quote taker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/i-am-old-enough-to-think-the-word-journalist-is-not-all-that-noble-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“Politics had seemed to become, even well before the age of Trump, a mortal affair. It was now zero-sum: When one side profited, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/politics-had-seemed-to-become-even-well-before-the-age-of-trump-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) [Explore all 570 Michael Wolff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) ## More Armed forces quotes > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [Recruitment and retention are critical to sustain our Armed Forces with the best men and women willing to stand in the gap and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/recruitment-and-retention-are-critical-to-sustain-our-armed-forces/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My father was in the military; he was a captain. His service was to quote-unquote integrate the Armed Forces overseas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/my-father-was-in-the-military-he-was-a-captain-his-service-was-to/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe that the Armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pace/i-believe-that-homosexual-acts-between-individuals-are-immoral-and/) [Peter Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pace/) > [“The highest ranking Russian intelligence officer to defect from Russia, Stanislav Lunev, testified at a Congressional hearing held in California in January, 2000. Before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/the-highest-ranking-russian-intelligence-officer-to-defect-from/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [A colonial war is a very dirty kind of war. You're not fighting armed forces. You're fighting mostly unarmed people. And to fight that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/a-colonial-war-is-a-very-dirty-kind-of-war-you-re-not-fighting-armed/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Scotland forms a crucial part of our Armed Forces which should not be jeopardised by rushed cuts or a rush to the exit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hammond/scotland-forms-a-crucial-part-of-our-armed-forces-which-should-not-be/) [Philip Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hammond/) > [The people of Iraq are grateful for what the people of the United States of America and our armed forces and our coalition forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-isakson/the-people-of-iraq-are-grateful-for-what-the-people-of-the-united/) [Johnny Isakson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-isakson/) > [I have deep respect for our armed forces and jawans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-kumaraswamy/i-have-deep-respect-for-our-armed-forces-and-jawans/) [H. D. Kumaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-kumaraswamy/) > [“The ultimate objective of all military operations is the destruction of the enemy’s armed forces and his will to fight.”\* This sums up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/the-ultimate-objective-of-all-military-operations-is-the-destruction/) [J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/) > [Relations between States, as between individuals, must be regulated not by armed force, but in accordance with...truth, justice and vigorous and sincere co-operation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-xxiii/relations-between-states-as-between-individuals-must-be-regulated-not/) [Pope John XXIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-xxiii/) > [Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/word-to-the-nation-guard-zealously-your-right-to-serve-in-the-armed/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [If Congress grants permission, I would put armed forces in the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/if-congress-grants-permission-i-would-put-armed-forces-in-the-streets/) [Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/) > [To lead uninstructed people to war is to throw them away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-lead-uninstructed-people-to-war-is-to-throw-them-away/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Americans will forever be proud of the brave men and women of our armed forces who served in World War II, and we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rhodes/americans-will-forever-be-proud-of-the-brave-men-and-women-of-our/) [Ben Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rhodes/) [Browse all 342 Armed forces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-forces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Others were now recruited and, despite their obvious impressions of the man, agreed to sign on. 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