“There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.” (2 Nephi 30:17)
Donald J. Trump likes to swear his employees to secrecy before they start to work for him. The method used is to require new employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) at the beginning of their employment.
NDA’s were originally created to protect trade secrets (like the secret formula for the immensely profitable Coca-Cola), but are now increasingly used (abused) by private businesses to prevent employees from saying anything negative about any aspect of their employment (including harassment), and to prevent employees from leaving the company to work for a competitor.
It has recently come to light that early in 2017 Trump insisted that those coming to work in the White House sign NDAs, even though they would be public employees. Reportedly, White House council Donald McGahn refused to draft such a document, but relented under pressure from Trump. Some senior White House staffers even reported that McGahn told them the NDAs were “unenforceable” even as he had them sign the document.
To illustrate that this is unprecedented, it is important to note that previous staffers from both the Bush and Obama White House report that they were never asked to signed such agreements. Staffers for the current Republican Speaker of the House and the Republican Senate Majority Leader report they have never been asked, and even national security personnel are not prohibited from discussing non-classified information after their employment ends.
This president loves to be talked about, but he only wants praise, not criticism – not even constructive criticism from his friends. He is not interested in learning, problem-solving, or self-improvement. He demands secrecy from those around him (he calls it “loyalty”) because he knows he is nothing but a liar and a manipulator. He is shallow, illiterate, ignorant, and afraid. He puts on a dramatic public show each day (“I am Oz! The Great and Powerful!”) because he doesn’t want anyone to discover that he is just a humbug.
Sources: “‘Everyone Signed one’: Trump is aggressive in his use of nondisclosure agreements, even in government.”
“NDAs Are Out of Control. Here’s What Needs to Change.” Orly Lobel, Harvard Business Review, January 30, 2018.
The Wizard of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939.
Very good observation and a telling metaphor.
We have employees sign a non-disclosure agreement, but that is to protect restaurant recipes. Interesting that public employees should sign such a thing when not involving top-security issues.