President Trump is finding it difficult to transition from running a business to running the United States of America, Politico reports. Drawing on interviews with almost two dozen people in Trump's orbit, the president is described as both frustrated and surprised by the way government works, be it the limits to his power or the leaks and infighting that come with heading the White House:
Trump often asks simple questions about policies, proposals, and personnel. And, when discussions get bogged down in details, the president has been known to quickly change the subject — to "seem in control at all times," one senior government official said — or direct questions about details to his chief strategist Steve Bannon, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, or House Speaker Paul Ryan. Trump has privately expressed disbelief over the ability of judges, bureaucrats, or lawmakers to delay — or even stop — him from filling positions and implementing policies. [Politico]
In addition to the leaks, the biggest public concern for Trump is reportedly his press secretary Sean Spicer, whose combative daily briefings earned ridicule on Saturday Night Live and angered the image-sensitive president. Spicer reportedly "proposed cracking a joke about the send-up during his next briefing, or even firing a squirt gun, as [Melissa] McCarthy had done in the sketch," but a person briefed on the matter told Politico that Trump shot down the idea.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirementsSpeed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off VenezuelaSpeed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, BaltimoreSpeed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
