Originally published at: How Trump screwed over his WH photographer | Boing Boing
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Ya hang with a grifter, you go’n get grifted. Fact.
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Trump no doubt felt entitled since he fancied himself a brilliant director who often decided how all her shots should be framed and posed rather than just letting the professional photographer do her job.
Every day, Craighead would hand Trump a folder of images — they called it the “daily folder,” she said — and she and the President would have a conversation about what he liked and didn’t like. Trump would give “pretty direct” feedback, she said.
“Sometimes he liked it to be a little warmer with orange tones, then he would decide he didn’t like that,” Craighead said.
Trump, who has years of experience on television, preferred to pose for the camera and wasn’t always comfortable with natural and candid shots, according to Craighead.
For example, the linked article shows that infamous “holding a Bible” photo-op he did outside St. John’s Episcopal Church after he had police clear the area of both protesters and the people who had actually been there to attend worship.
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She can join the long list of contractors, vendors, and employees who’ve been stiffed and cheated by this notorious deadbeat. I’ll bet he used the old “the exposure from working with me is worth millions, believe me” line.
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…with teargas.
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Just as Jesus doubtlessly would have done.
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TFG’s presidency sure highlighted how many of the things Presidents do are merely constrained by norms, and are completely unprotected legally against bad actors.
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What Trump did was super sleazy and backstabby but, as the news story pointed out, these photos are in the public domain and don’t belong to her alone. She was working a job as an employee of the federal government and got payed a salary and benefits. I haven’t found her specific salary but the White House’s director of video production got paid $86k/year, so probably something like that.
She can still publish her book though. And if she failed to take a few embarrassing photos that would spice it up and drive sales, that’s on her.
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One more reason I 1000% don’t believe that trump is a billionaire. This guy is desperate for money.
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Note that William Morrow also has a book of White House photos out (and the story is not “William Morrow screwed over WH photographer”). Presumably any book from Craighead would have included some original text to go along with it, since that would be the only part she could sell.
This. Why in God’s name didn’t the Democrats make a list of such norms as he violated, and pass a few simple laws so that things that once were only custom or tradition could be codified, and punishments meted out for future offenses. Like, say, requiring Presidential nominees to disclose their tax returns (so that citizens can see whether they’re in debt to foreign powers), beefing up the emoluments clause and adding some teeth to that beef (so that Presidents can’t make money off their hotels that host foreign dignitaries), or requiring Presidents to actually put their investments into blind trusts while they’re serving. The list would be long and tedious, and passage of such legislation iffy, but at least make the effort, Dems.
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I’m going to hazard a guess that there was more factual information in Trump’s photo book than the one Kayleigh McEnany handed to Lesley Stahl. 
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If she was a federal employee, the photos are “Works of the United States Government” and not eligible for copyright under federal copyright law. Anybody can legally publish a collection of those photos in the US. Still, asking her to delay publication so that Trump can get publish his book first is kind of scummy.
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Because then they wouldn’t be able to do the same in the future.
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Time for her to release a book that is a super cut of the most embarrassing things she witnessed. All those shots she snapped and never showed anyone need to see the light of day!
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Jason, you should mention that he was also nominated for and lost two Emmys. I think everyone, all the time, should not use Two-time Emmy Loser Donald Trump’s name without mentioning that he never won an Emmy. Twice.
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So what? Most of the shitty stuff Trump (constantly) does isn’t illegal. It’s just unethical, amoral, or immoral.
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She should’ve just published the book anyway without a foreword from him (f*ck that guy!). It’s not like he would’ve actually written it anyway. Plus he would’ve insisted to include his obnoxious signature.
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I think whether or not he had the money, he’d act this way. Alienating every US bank, burning every previous business partner, not paying vendors is not something a smart person who wanted to build a successful businesses would do. He grifts and swipes because he wants to be that guy, even though retaining good will and ability to collaborate would have made him much more wealthy.
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Photographers I’ve known say they do real pictures- not pretty pictures. No question in this case.
Maybe she can beat him to the Trump dart board?
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