Ask Me Anything: #2

With the intention of keeping this column going as a biweekly installment, and because the feedback to AMA #1 was positive, here’s the latest Q&A:

Should a man wear cologne? As I said in “Fashion Rules To Live By,” if you insist on wearing cologne, no one should smell you from five feet away or five minutes after you’ve left the room. Generally speaking, cologne is for poor people and ESLs (English as a Second Language). As an alternative, I love the subtle linger of Asprey Purple Water body wash. It’s understated, and just feminine enough to be masculine without smelling obnoxious or cheap.

Trump or DeSantis? I would obviously be content with either option over Biden. But, I want Trump. I think it should be Trump. And I think it will be Trump. Aside from my sincere support, I also nihilistically appreciate the entertainment factor; I want to see Trump with a vengeance and a “fuck it” attitude.

Any disagreement or counter you could possibly make - that DeSantis is “Trump with a plan” or that he has demonstrated competence and results, without the distractions - I’ve already considered and factored in.

DeSantis cannot win the nomination vs. a field of 6-7 GOP contenders, including Trump. With ~30% of the base steadfastly MAGA and loyal to Trump, the math isn’t there for him. This is certainly evidenced by more recent polls, where Trump’s lead has widened dramatically (+25), particularly post-indictment. And Ron’s establishment donors aren’t going to want to throw another $100+ million at the impossible after seeing what happened to Jeb in 2016.

DeSantis should demonstrate some loyalty, continue to govern Florida with competence, and wait his turn. After all, the only reason he squeezed out a win in 2018 over the closeted gigolo crackhead (Gillum) was because of Trump.

Trump wouldn’t be Trump without his foibles. Take it or leave it, he’s a bombastic, hyperbolic, caricature of a brash, NYC developer billionaire. He is the Molotov cocktail to throw at the woke establishment and corrupt media class. Sure, he made some mistakes in his first term: placating Paul Ryan, making some poor hires (Bolton, Pompeo, Barr), being too patient with Fauci (I know that he personally hated the lockdown measures that were imposed early on), and not pardoning Snowden, Assange, and many of the J6 political prisoners. But, there’s a lot of hindsight in those criticisms.

I think he has learned from his mistakes, and Trump with a vengeance in 2024 - focused on righting wrongs, pragmatic populism, and solidifying the America First legacy and the preservation of western culture - will be a spectacle to behold. And he’d probably bring someone like Vivek (who has some really articulate views on issues like affirmative action, nationalism, DEI/ESG, three-letter bureaucracies, Woke Inc., and meritocracy) into his toolbox to help focus on the details.

And I think Trump will smoke Biden, who has lost some of the protections he enjoyed from big tech/media, COVID protocol advantages, and will have to leave his basement to campaign. This also assumes that the GOP will be almost as effective at mail-in voting and (legal) ballot harvesting as Democrats have been.

Finally, as a side, I’ve met Trump a few times. He’s kinder, funnier, smarter, and more empathetic than he gets credit for. He also has great kids, and the ultimate measure of a man is how his kids turn out.

What’s a good skincare regime for guys? Surprisingly, I got asked this several times. So I already summarized it in “Expensive but worth it.”

Summer szn swim trunks reccs? I’ve never understood why so many guys are so lazy about swim apparel - wearing generic athletic shorts that are usually too long. Quality swim trunks are a differentiator, and an opportunity to show off. Be enigmatic, fashionable, and sophisticated. Why not take the chance to be bolder than you typically are with your daily fashion choices? Expensive swim trunks show effort and a purposeful mentality. Just skip Vilebrequin; that’s like trying to buy a personality.

Dude, WTF. You play pickleball? Yes, while I agree that enthusiasts of the sport are highly irritating, Pickleball - the fastest-growing sport in history - is here to stay. In simple terms, here’s why: Young or old, drunk or sober, casual or competitive, fit or fat, male or female (mixed doubles is great), it’s always fun, easy to learn, yet impossible to master. Just grab a paddle (this is the best one) and try it.

What are your primary sources of news? I love Twitter, even just as a tool for content consumption. Hours of bookmarked website browsing has been condensed into a 10 minute morning scroll on Twitter. If you don’t like Twitter, you’re simply bad at curation. It’s like having an army of free assistants, who specialize in a variety of interests with specific expertise. Some of my favorite accounts, covering an electric range include: @cenovich, @ggreenwald, @mtaibbi, @DavidSacks, @unusual_whales, @VivekGRamaswamy, @Oilfield_Rando, @ClayTravis, @DouglasKMurray, and @mattyglesias. For a surface level understanding of broad culture, I check the Daily Mail and NY Post, and for my right wing fix that is otherwise ignored, I rely on Patriots.win and Citizen Free Press. And while I am saddened to see the death of Reddit (censorship and bias), the New York Times and the Economist (derangement and bias), I still happily pay for Bloomberg, where Matt Levine has the best newsletter (Money Stuff) out there. My general philosophy is that it’s important to have some knowledge of most things that people are talking about - so I’m conversant in The Bachelor, European football, restaurants in Paris, SVBs unhedged interest rate exposure, Ashley Biden’s diary, and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

What backpack would you recommend for work? Backpacks are for school kids and hipsters (or as we called them back in my day - pussies); they are disgusting. While you’re at it, also toss the banker bag, especially the dumb poser versions hawked on FinMeme pages. For something timeless and understated, I like this suede duffle.

Is it okay to date someone in the office? It’s natural. You spend a lot of time together. You presumably have common backgrounds, interests, and aspirations. It’s convenient. And obviously, it happens frequently enough to be a cliche. Speaking from personal experience, I would not recommend it at all. I was ambitious in my young career, never passing up coffee, lunch, or drinks with seniors and mentors. Trying to juggle my career ambitions with a relationship was a distraction. It was never nice getting nagging texts, “so I see you have time for coffee with Thomas, but NOT with me.” And so I’d occasional succumb to the relationship pressure, but it's just a terrible look professionally to be seen wasting office hours with the person you’re sleeping with, not to mention the inevitable gossip around being seen arriving together in the morning. It’s a distraction that creates unneeded stress and strife, and a waste of time - doomed from the start. Avoid it completely. Also, in 2023, if she’s junior to you, it’s regarded as creepy; you have the whole issue of the inappropriate power dynamic.

A lot of your memes are political. Are you a conspiracy theorist? I believe there is some merit in the recent meme, “I need some new conspiracy theories. All my other ones came true.” Do I think aliens are here? Nope. Do I think the 2020 election was rigged? No. It wasn’t rigged by hacking voting machines or coordinated ballot drops, but it was “rigged” by tech censorship, media bias, hastily-implemented mail-in voting (with questionable verification) under the guise of COVID protocols, and ballot harvesting. Epstein’s island (true). Social media shadow-banning (true). Hunter’s laptop (true). And then of course, COVID is an easy one. Lab leak, natural immunity, vaccine efficacy & transmission, alternative preventatives and treatments that were dismissed and suppressed in order to protect EUA status ($$$)? These were all “conspiracy theories” that turned out to be true. So while I don’t believe Bill Gates is conspiring with the WEF to de-populate the earth and make us eat bugs, it’s been demonstrated that the media cannot be trusted, and is quick to dismiss, suppress, and stigmatize anything that doesn’t fit the narrative they propagate.

Who pays for dinner? On a date, the guy pays. Period. No exceptions. When out with friends, don’t be afraid to pick up the tab. Just don’t do the “reach for wallet” gesture. That’s a coward’s move. Find a time during the meal to discreetly give the waiter your card. It evens out over time; water seeks its own level.

If you were starting over, would you still go into banking? Yes, absolutely. For training, resources, validation, opportunity, networking, and exposure, it’s still a phenomenal place to begin a career. It’s an environment where you can work with, learn from, and compete with the best and the brightest, close deals that make the WSJ, and get well paid. And if you don’t like it, you’re positioned to move anywhere you want professionally. I wrote about this in greater detail here.

To submit a question, DM me on Twitter (@JohnLeFevre) or Instagram (@realgse), which you’ll have to find manually because of the shadow ban.

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John LeFevre is the creator of @GSElevator and the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Amazon Book of the Month, and TIME Book of the summer, Straight To Hell: True Tales of Deviance, Debauchery, And Billion-Dollar Deals.