Enough

by Cassidy Hutchinson

He picked the Bible he thought was “best looking.”

...and then held it upside down to interrupt a peaceful protest

I was not entrusted with my job and its responsibilities to get hung up on emotions, I reminded myself. Emotions were unwelcome in the Trump White House. It was imperative to turn them off as a means to survive.

“Would you take a bullet for him?” Mark asked. My head snapped toward him in surprise, but his eyes were fixed on the stage. I tried to make a joke. It was the only thing I could think of on the spot. “Yeah, sure, but could it be to the leg?” He laughed. As the president began to wrap up, we walked toward the stage. “Would you?” I asked him. “I would do anything,” Mark answered, looking over his shoulder at me, “to get him reelected.”

After the roundtable ended, I watched Mark take Cruz aside. When they finished talking, Cruz walked over to me and warned me not to be a “tattletale” again. I warned him not to disrespect my authority. That was the last time I spoke to Ted Cruz.