Trump Once Summoned Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus To The Oval Office To Kill A Fly

The Hill — President Trump reportedly once summoned former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus to kill a fly in the Oval Office during a meeting, according to a Friday report.

A source told The Washington Post that once during an Oval Office meeting, a fly began buzzing around Trump’s head, distracting him. Trump eventually summoned Priebus and told him to kill the fly. As a senior White House staffer, the chief of staff would not ordinarily be tasked with such matters.

The Post reports that anecdote was just one way the relationship between Trump and Priebus became fractured by the end. Trump announced Priebus’ resignation on Friday night. 

I know what most people’s instinctive narrative will be here: “Wow Trump had no respect for Priebus, summoned him to carry out the petty task of killing a fly.” Oh no, no, no people. You are wrong. Very wrong.

Killing a fly is no joke. Perhaps one of the most daunting household tasks there is. Depending on the tools available or not available to you, you can throw away an entire day trying to kill one of those little bastards. I don’t see the Oval Office as the type of spot that’s just got fly swatters lying around. And once Donnie’s summoned you to terminate a fly, you can’t be like, “Sure lemme run to Walmart real quick.” No chance. The clock is ticking. You’ve got what you’ve got. Time to get the job done.

So let’s set the stage here. Your boss, the President of the United States, is conducting meetings in the Oval. You’re Reince Priebus, the chief of staff, and you’ve been brought in, in front of all these high-profile folks conducting serious business, to kill a fly on the spot? Awful stuff. Pressure on a million. Everyone awkwardly sitting around, quiet, waiting for you to kill that fly. Meanwhile that little shithead is buzzing everybody’s tower, sitting still while you get real close only to take off impossibly fast at the last second, doing victory laps, snagging crumbs off Resolute Desk, licking up some of Trump’s hair spray, going round and round and round all damn day.

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Does this sound like a petty task? Nope. This is high-pressure, daunting shit. Poor Reince — not given a petty desk, but definitely given a low percentage chance of success task. Unfair!

Fuck flies and fuck trying to kill flies. I’ve seen far better men than Reince Priebus try and fail with these little bastards.