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"Forget the Pivot: Trump's Abnormality is Getting Worse"
A year into his presidency, Trump reportedly feels he can “largely operate with impunity.”
(snip)
This past week in particular saw Trump plummet to levels predicted by few, making a racially insensitive joke during an event celebrating Native Americans, and retweeting propaganda videos from a far-right British group and activist. Several reports indicate that Trump is falling back on conspiracy theories that he himself has disproven, such as the idea that the infamous Access Hollywood tape is fake (even after he personally admitted that he “said it” and “was wrong”). And on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that, even in the wake of pushback, Trump feels emboldened, with sources adding that the president feels he can “largely operate with impunity.”
Officials told Axios that, far from being cowed, Trump seems “more self-assured, more prone to confidently indulging wild conspiracies and fantasies,” and more combative than he did at the beginning of his time in office. And rather than grapple with a boss who will simply steamroll them, Trump’s aides seem to have largely given up. On Wednesday, Politico reported that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who was brought in to streamline and restrict the information that reaches the president’s desk, has yet to figure out a way to prevent Trump from scrolling through his Twitter mentions, which is what led Trump to retweet two anti-Muslim videos from a far-right British nationalist group, one of which was first tweeted, along with Trump’s Twitter handle, by right-wing pundit Ann Coulter.
And the situation is not destined to improve once the G.O.P. pushes its tax bill through Congress. For one, scoring a legislative win would only embolden Trump. Perhaps more important, nobody in Congress or the White House seems to know what Trump wants to focus on next. Whereas past presidencies have laid out their agendas months, even years in advance, most in the Trump administration are unsure what topics they will broach, or revisit. “There is very little in the pipeline, and no obvious next item on the agenda after tax reform except maybe a return to health care,” Yuval Levin, the editor of the conservative policy journal National Affairs, told Politico. “Combine that with a president who doesn’t think in terms of policy, and you’ve got no clear next step.” Rather than take charge of policy direction, Trump seems content to limit his activities to Internet feuds.
(snip)
This past week in particular saw Trump plummet to levels predicted by few, making a racially insensitive joke during an event celebrating Native Americans, and retweeting propaganda videos from a far-right British group and activist. Several reports indicate that Trump is falling back on conspiracy theories that he himself has disproven, such as the idea that the infamous Access Hollywood tape is fake (even after he personally admitted that he “said it” and “was wrong”). And on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that, even in the wake of pushback, Trump feels emboldened, with sources adding that the president feels he can “largely operate with impunity.”
Officials told Axios that, far from being cowed, Trump seems “more self-assured, more prone to confidently indulging wild conspiracies and fantasies,” and more combative than he did at the beginning of his time in office. And rather than grapple with a boss who will simply steamroll them, Trump’s aides seem to have largely given up. On Wednesday, Politico reported that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who was brought in to streamline and restrict the information that reaches the president’s desk, has yet to figure out a way to prevent Trump from scrolling through his Twitter mentions, which is what led Trump to retweet two anti-Muslim videos from a far-right British nationalist group, one of which was first tweeted, along with Trump’s Twitter handle, by right-wing pundit Ann Coulter.
And the situation is not destined to improve once the G.O.P. pushes its tax bill through Congress. For one, scoring a legislative win would only embolden Trump. Perhaps more important, nobody in Congress or the White House seems to know what Trump wants to focus on next. Whereas past presidencies have laid out their agendas months, even years in advance, most in the Trump administration are unsure what topics they will broach, or revisit. “There is very little in the pipeline, and no obvious next item on the agenda after tax reform except maybe a return to health care,” Yuval Levin, the editor of the conservative policy journal National Affairs, told Politico. “Combine that with a president who doesn’t think in terms of policy, and you’ve got no clear next step.” Rather than take charge of policy direction, Trump seems content to limit his activities to Internet feuds.
From Vanity Fair
This adds to the growing chorus of various people, including psychiatrists, hinting or outright stating that there's a possible mental health problem. I don't mean the "he's crazy" kind of thing you say when someone says or does something stupid; I mean there's a real, clinical problem.
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