Donald Trump spent the past two years attacking rival Hillary Clinton as crooked, corrupt, and weak.
But some of those attacks seem to have already slipped into the history books.
From installing Wall Street executives in his Cabinet to avoiding news conferences, the
president-elect is adopting some of the same behavior for which he criticized Clinton during their
fiery presidential campaign...
GOLDMAN SACHS
Then: "I know the guys at Goldman Sachs," Trump said at a South Carolina rally in February, when
he was locked in a fierce primary battle with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. "They have total, total control
over him. Just like they have total control over Hillary Clinton."
Now: A number of former employees of the Wall Street bank will pay a key role in crafting Trump's
economic policy. He's tapped Goldman Sachs president Gary Cohn to lead the White House National
Economic Council. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary nominee, spent 17 years working at Goldman
Sachs and Steve Bannon, Trump's chief strategist and senior counselor, started his career as an
investment banker at the firm.
Trump is following in a long political tradition, though one he derided on the campaign trail: If
Cohn accepts the nomination, he'll be the third Goldman executive to run the NEC.
BIG DONORS
Then: "Crooked Hillary. Look, can you imagine another four years of the Clintons? Seriously. It's
time to move on. And she's totally controlled by Wall Street and all these people that gave her
millions," Trump said at a May rally in Lynden, Washington.
Now: Trump has stocked his Cabinet with six top donors — far more than any recent White House. "I
want people that made a fortune. Because now they're negotiating with you, OK?" Trump said, in a
December 9 speech in Des Moines.
The biggest giver? Linda McMahon, incoming small business administrator, gave $7.5 million to a
super PAC backing Trump, more than a third of the money collected by the political action committee.
NEWS CONFERENCES
Then: "She doesn't do news conferences, because she can't," Trump said at an August rally in
Ashburn, Virginia. "She's so dishonest she doesn't want people peppering her with questions."
Now: Trump opened his last news conference on July 27, saying: "You know, I put myself through your
news conferences often, not that it's fun."
He hasn't held one since.
Trump skipped the news conference a president-elect typically gives after winning the White House.
Instead, he released a YouTube video of under three minutes. He also recently abruptly canceled
plans to hold his first post-election news conference, opting instead to describe his plans for
managing his businesses in tweets. "I will hold a press conference in the near future to discuss the
business, Cabinet picks and all other topics of interest. Busy times!" he tweeted in mid-December.
FAMILY TIES:
Then: "It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department
begins. It is now abundantly clear that the Clintons set up a business to profit from public office.
They sold access and specific actions by and really for I guess the making of large amounts of
money," Trump said at an August rally in Austin.
Now: While Trump has promised to separate himself from his businesses, there is plenty of overlap
between his enterprises and his immediate family. His companies will be run by his sons, Donald Jr
and Eric. And his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have joined Trump at a number of
meetings with world leaders of countries where the family has financial interests.
In a financial disclosure he was required to file during the campaign, Trump listed stakes in about
500 companies in at least 25 countries.
Ivanka, in particular, has been caught making early efforts to leverage her father's new position
into profits. After an interview with the family appeared on "60 Minutes," her jewelry company,
Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, blasted out an email promoting the $10,800 gold bangle bracelet that she
had worn during the appearance. The company later said they were "proactively discussing new
policies and procedures."
Ivanka is also auctioning off a private coffee meeting with her to benefit her brother's foundation.
The meeting is valued at $50,000, with the current top bid coming in at $25,000.
"United States Secret Service will be Present for the Duration of the Experience," warns the auction
site.