We’ve said time and time again over the years that there is truly no one Donald Trump won’t shaft, throw under the bus, or screw over if it means he can somehow serve himself instead — and we meant it.
According to a recent report from the New York Times, the disgraced, one-term, twice-impeached president, in part of his desperate effort to cling to some sort of relevancy after his humiliating White House eviction and election loss, pretty brutally screwed over his own White House photographer so that he could publish his own picture book instead.
Shealah Craighead spent Donald Trump’s term somewhat in the shadows, carefully documenting his most defining moments in office, and, as is customary for most all White House photographers, she had every intention of publishing a collection of her work in her own book.
However, the Times reports that Craighead was essentially robbed of her rightful opportunity as a White House photographer, thanks to Trump’s own selfish ways:
First, aides to Mr. Trump asked her for a cut of her book advance payment, in exchange for his writing a foreword and helping promote the book, according to former associates of Mr. Trump.
Then Mr. Trump’s team asked Ms. Craighead to hold off on her book project to allow the former president to take Ms. Craighead’s photos and those of other White House staff photographers and publish his own book, which is now selling for as much as $230 a copy.”
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As it stands now, a signed copy of Donald Trump’s picture book is going for around $229.99, while a new, unsigned copy of the book can be grabbed off Amazon for $74.99.
The description of Trump’s picture book reads:
This photo book captures the greatness of the last four years unlike anything else that has been published. Every photograph has been handpicked by President Donald J. Trump, every caption written by him, some in his own handwriting!”
The ex-president’s self-lauding picture book contains a majority of Shealah Craighead’s work and while it does technically credit her and the other photographers who were used in the collection, it doesn’t make a mere mention of them until the very last page.
But nevertheless, during her interview with the Times on the subject, Craighead offered no criticism of the ex-president that she covered all those years, and who shafted her out of her rightful book opportunity.
“I stay apolitical as possible, as I am a neutral historical documentarian,” she explained. “By staying neutral I am able to remain a keen observer.”
However, former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham had different thoughts on the matter, accusing her former boss of “profiting” from his White House photographer’s hard work.
“Shea’s a very talented photographer and this was really all of her hard work,” Grisham stated. “I just keep thinking: What a shame that he is actually now profiting off of it. But then again, this is the guy who is hawking caps and all kinds of stuff right now to raise money for himself.”
Former President George W. Bush’s chief White House photographer, Eric Draper, also lambasted Trump’s move.
“It’s a slap in the face,” Draper fumed over what Trump has done to Craighead. “I would be disappointed if I were in her shoes.”
After Trump published his own picture book, Craighead now has no plans to publish her own collection as most White House photographers customarily do.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
