Trump Officials Try to Keep Away From the 'Violent Toddler'

[Wicked Blue]

Daily Beast

Erin Banco National Security Reporter
Asawin Suebsaeng White House Reporter
Published Jan. 12, 2021 4:49AM ET

In the closing days of the Trump era, some of the president’s top political lieutenants have embarked on a clear mission: to distract Trump from the parts of the job that they believe could cause more pain to the country if the president pays too much attention to them.

And while Trump is increasingly isolated—and some aides hope, distracted—some of the most important members of his administration are cleaning up loose ends, pursuing their personal agendas, and trying to keep Trump from sparking yet another crisis.

One senior Trump administration official described the activity around the outgoing president as a prolonged act of “babysitting” a “violent toddler” that aides and chief advisers hope to get through in the next week without Trump triggering any more history-making disasters.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-officials-try-to-keep-away-from-the-violent-toddler?ref=home

[scarletwoman]

1. This part is particularly horrifying to me:

With the president isolated in the White House, senior officials have moved to ramp up their own political agendas in the last days of the Trump administration.

Pompeo, for instance, has for years underscored the importance of combating Beijing on the world stage and punishing the regime for its egregious human rights violations against the Uighur population—all while pumping up his own future political prospects. So Pompeo is focused on undercutting China and establishing better relations with Taiwan, officials close to the secretary said, while taking not-so-subtle digs at Democrats from his official government Twitter account.

-snip-

And O’Brien, whose staff shrunk last week when several senior directors on the National Security Council resigned, is spending a bulk of his time tying up loose ends with Jared Kushner about his recent efforts in the Middle East.

-snip-

And inside the White House, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller pushed Trump to take a victory lap at the southern border Tuesday to deliver a speech about his “achievements in immigration,” as one person familiar with the planning put it.

-snip-

Aides have also printed out and rushed to show him the latest articles they have found on Big Tech companies “censoring” him and other extremely online conservatives in recent days. One of the motivations behind doing this, two of the sources said, was to try to focus his energy on his pet cause of railing against the supposed anti-conservative bias at social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook, in the hopes that such distractions keep him from causing further, irreversible, or even violent mayhem.

-snip-

Unfortunately for Republicans looking for a speedy resignation, Trump has been privately shouting, sequestered in the White House since the weekend, about how, “I’M NOT GOING TO RESIGN.” And on Monday, administration officials began telling reporters that Trump and Pence had a meeting that evening, ostensibly to reconcile after the former callously helped put the latter’s life in danger. Apparently, the two men vowed to keep conducting “their” work together, right up until Joe Biden’s inauguration.

[niyad]

2. If white satan won't 25 him, then trank his ass. Up his adderall. Lock him in his bathroom.

[BobTheSubgenius]

3. I'm not totally sure that I've accurately sussed this out.

These people are now trying to be The Good Guys, by keeping him from turning the world into a nuclear dustbowl, or whatever crisis they think they could avert? Is that about right?

Where have they been for 3 years, 11 1/2 months?

[COL Mustard]

4. Um, Busy

You know:

Washing their hair
Alphabetizing their sock drawer
Sorting their Rolodex

You know, important stuff like that!

It's HAAAAARRRRDDDDD running a country.