March 16, 2017
MarkBernstein.org
 

Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton to George Washington, 1792:

When a man unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits—despotic in his ordinary demeanour—known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may “ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”

Speaking of being “desperate in his fortune,” it’s interesting that Donald Trump has apparently postponed or reneged on his commitment to forego his salary, and to donate payments to his hotels from foreign government to charity.