Who's in, who's out and who will Trump go after now?

The president-elect is building up his power base and plotting his revenge on those who have wronged him. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a wild ride

- WILLIAM COOPER

So, who are the key players — the trusted advisers, string pullers, real pushers of the operation — in Donald Trump’s inner circle? It’s a mix of familiar names and new faces. There are two common traits each person has in spades: fierce loyalty to Trump and bitter anger toward the global establishment. The president-elect wouldn’t have it any other way.

But Trump’s inner circle isn’t merely an entourage built for show. Trump has little regard for traditional power structures (or even legal requirements) when it comes to receiving advice. He doesn’t care if an adviser is the secretary of state, a long-time business ally or merely a new friend. He wants people to confirm his views and further his goals. It’s that simple. And an ironclad rule governs: those closest to his ear have the most power. The implications for America and the world are startling. People with little expertise — and sometimes little visibility on the world stage — can exert tremendous influence over Trump and therefore bend the arc of history. American democracy is supposed to repose executive power in a president and cabinet officials confirmed by the United States Senate. Trump has shattered this paradigm.

What do his choices say about his true motivations? One thing above all is clear: he wants retribution. Trump cares little about the ideological make-up of his advisers (which is sure to create sharp clashes among them). Instead, he wants his people to right the many wrongs he believes have been inflicted upon him since his first presidential victory in 2016.