Nearly eight years ago, reports began circulating in Washington that the Trump administration would be in turmoil. One obvious sign is that Rapid departure of close aides to the president. within a few months, President Trump has replaced his chief of staff.National Security Advisor; press secretary and advisor to the president. Ultimately, President Trump will have four chiefs of staff, four national security advisers, four press secretaries, and five presidential advisers in four years.
Beyond the rapid turnover, those who worked with President Trump during his first term spoke of his anarchic governing style. He refused to read briefing books before meeting with government leaders and simply “praised” important negotiations. He only reads a one-page synopsis, and only if it's full of maps, photos, and graphs. He ignored advice from his counselor in favor of information (or misinformation) from Fox News and extremist social media posts. Rather than consulting with others, he decided on his own policies through tweets.
Aides, who requested anonymity for obvious reasons, detailed that Trump spent several hours each day watching television, typically Fox News, and impulsively leaving meetings out of boredom. As a result, his governing style oscillated between lack of interest and sudden bursts of activity. Simply put, he didn't pay attention until he suddenly realized that policies he didn't like were being made without him. For example, in 2018, with a government shutdown looming, he intervened at the last minute to insist that the continuing resolution include funding for a wall on the Mexican border. One aide said Trump An “instinctual and reactive” leader.
His aides revealed that he had an unusually short attention span. They confessed that they had distracted themselves with other things, hoping that if he made an outrageous request, they would forget the command they had just given. A journalist discovered that President Trump was live-tweeting to Fox News, setting his agenda based on what Fox News reported.
political scientist david drezner Analysis of statements made by Trump's aides and supporters He likens him to a toddler who throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, has a short attention span, and is not interested in learning unless presented in a very simple way. Drezner said his aides used reverse psychology on Trump (telling him that he couldn't do what they actually wanted him to do), kept him busy so he didn't have time to tweet, and fed him brief information to keep him busy. It is said that he treated her like a child.
Another characteristic identified by his aides was his extreme anxiety. The oral conferences he paid the most attention to were the ones where his name was mentioned multiple times. And he always needed praise. If media reports were critical, supplements and reinforcement were provided at the meeting. One aide explained that President Trump did not want to hear any opposition to what he had already said publicly.
President Trump's defenders argue that his chaotic style of administration is designed to draw attention to government dysfunction. But is it really meant to improve government? Or is it simply a reflection of President Trump's personality?
Those who know Mr. Trump best warned us years ago what kind of person he was. And multiple voters ignored their warnings. So let's all prepare for four years of dysfunction and chaos, not government reform.
Richard Davis is professor emeritus of political science at BYU.
