Batten down the hatches: The “old” Donald Trump is back and old problems are sure to emerge.
It’s President Trump returning to candidate Trump because that got him elected and he now feels sure it will keep him president.
With fewer advisers telling him to temper his tongue and tone down his claims, President Donald Trump is returning to the candidate who fired off claims without facts and promises he could never keep because that, he feels, put him the White House and will, he’s sure, will keep him there.
Those remaining in Trump’s revolving door White House says he’s brimming with confidence — more than they’ve seen at any time during his first 14 months in office.
“This is consistent with Trump’s populist movement that he was able to capture and lead in the last election,” said Ed Brookover, a former Trump campaign adviser, tells The Washington Post. “What his base wanted him to do most of all is to fight for them, and the more Trump demonstrates he’s on their side, the more popular he is with them.”
Trump, aides say, now feels “empowered” to do whatever he want and feels that without senior aides telling him that he “can’t do something,” he will accomplish his wish list.
“The president is now running the government like he did with his real estate and branding empire in New York,” says one aide.
Critics say Trump will have to remember that he is not the absolute boss of a private outfit like The Trump Organization and that he can’t simply declare bankruptcy and walk away from failures like he often did in his business dealings.
Trump is keeping chief of staff John Kelly out of the hiring process of senior officials now, bringing on economic advisor Larry Kudlow and national security adviser John Bolton from Fox News.
Neither were vetted before Trump announced their appointments.
“It’s off the cuff decisions that have gotten us into trouble before and it will happen again,” worries one aide. “How many more misfirings can we survive?”
Trump is not worried. As he often does, he claims he, and only he, is the one who knows what to do.
Dana Milbank in a column where the headline — How Trump is transforming himself into the greatest president ever — had many readers wondering if the columnist had lost his mind.
Nope. Milbank just rounded up many of the claims of Trump who says what he does is the greatest thing in the world.
For example:
“Nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have,”
“I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed.”
“Nobody knows more about trade than me.”
“Nobody respects women more than I do,”
“Nobody loves the Bible more than I do.”
“I have one of the great temperaments,”
“There’s nobody that’s done so much for equality as I have.”
The list goes on and one.
So does Trump.
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