In politics, I have been told that you pick your battles. But President Trump has a different theory, and he has decided to fight everyone that does not agree with his opinion, and that is a terrible way to start your administration.
There are over 600 administrative positions that must be filled, and staffers who have been hired are having meetings in the dark, because they don’t know how to turn on the lights. There are leaks coming from aides who are questioning if the top staff understands the processes of the White House and/or the federal government.
At this point, Trump’s most significant political setback in his new administration is the 9th Circuit Court ruling against reinstating the president’s travel ban. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel means that citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries will be able to continue travel to and from the U.S., despite Trump’s executive order last month.
So, now Trump’s top staff will hold numerous meetings trying to determine how they can circumvent the Circuit Court’s decision and fall further behind in organizing the administration.
Instead of presenting evidence to explain the need for the executive order, Trump’s legal team came to the hearing unprepared. This is significant, because it raises questions about how his other executive orders will be defended in court, as lawyers across the nation begin to file lawsuits.
An environment of chaos is not new for Trump, and he appears to thrive on disorder. During the campaign, then- Republican presidential candidate promised that he would drain the swamp and now people are watching it happen every day.
Trump, the reality TV star, loves confusion, and believes chaos produces the sort of results he likes.
Then National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was reported that he had contact with Russian officials after the election. Trump’s Labor Secretary pick Andrew Puzder withdrew from consideration for the post amidst decades-old domestic abuse claims, which his wife later recanted, and shortage of support among Republican senators.
The West Wing is basically empty, and there are small cracks of disappointment and disapproval with the dysfunction of the administration. As the aides support different factions in the administration, someone from the senior staff will become the most powerful.
Many think that Stephen Bannon, Trump’s senior advisor, is the architect of many of the executive orders and the top staff person in the Trump Administration with all the power.
Bannon’s appointment to the National Security Council has upset America, because now he has unlimited power. With Bannon on the National Security Council, he has a political platform for hateful ideologies instead of the council making critical decisions based upon facts from experts on the ground. Things are a mess, and nearly a month into this presidency, very little has actually been accomplished.
There are still hundreds of jobs to be filled and very few bills have been passed by Congress and sent to the White House. Most con men give the impression that they are rolling, but in this administration, when you roll back the fluff, there is no substance and no one knows what they are doing.