President Trump could not care less about the Islamic faith or local overseas politics. To him, you either help or hurt America, and that’s how he makes his determinations on policy. Above all, he does not want a replay of 9/11 on his watch.
Above all.
Trump’s Executive Order 13769, executed just seven days after he took office, restricted citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen from entering the United States for ninety days. It also cut back refugee acceptance.
No doubt, the president wanted to send a message to the world and to his base at home that there was a “new sheriff in town,” one who would be tough on disorderly Muslim countries. If the CIA believed some Islamic nations were not cooperating in profiling travelers, well, the president would stop visitors from those countries.
Immediately, his detractors accused him of racism.
It took less than a week for a federal judge to place a restraining order on the new president’s action, but today, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the executive order was constitutional and could go into effect.
Emboldened by the decision, the White House almost immediately released a warning to Syria, bluntly stating that America would punish the Assad regime if it continued to use poison gas on rebels.
That is what President Trump wanted to do all along: punish Bashar al-Assad. President Trump believes Barack Obama’s failure to carry out his very public “red line” threat against Syria showed weakness to the world.
The new president is determined never to show weakness. To him, that’s not part of “making America great again.”
While the partisan cable news shows debated Trump’s alleged racism, a new American foreign policy was unfolding. President Trump has a strong belief that the United States leads the world economically and morally. He wants other nations to deal fairly with America and has strong opinions on what is equitable and what is not.
Mr. Trump digested President Obama’s private warning that North Korea would be a grave threat. The new president saw that as a challenge, and so the courting of dictator Kim Jong-un began.
President Trump believes he can make smart deals with almost anyone: Putin, the Chinese, the emotionally disturbed Kim. He will overlook atrocities and even flatter despots in order to get those “good” deals. In Trump world, the end almost always justifies the means.
But if a foreign leader or anyone else resists Trump’s vision, his reaction is glacial. Hello, Angela Merkel.1
Many world leaders were stunned by the new president’s blunt management style, the complete opposite of that of the pliant Barack Obama. And it is fair to say that inside the White House, Mr. Trump’s way of doing business was far different than how Mr. Obama handled things.
* * *
DONALD TRUMP IS a creature of habit; he embraces routine. He begins his day shortly after 5 a.m. by turning on the television set and watching news in his private residence on the second floor of the White House. He is usually by himself at this point.
Early morning is tweet time for the president. During the working day, he dictates tweets to trusted aide Dan Scavino, who corrects his grammar and confers with his boss about messaging.
But after awakening, it is Trump’s thumb exclusively pounding his message out, often after he’s heard something on the news.
The president does not drink coffee or eat much before noon. Instead, he begins his Diet Coke consumption. He can drink up to fifteen bottles a day. Always with ice, in a glass. Never, ever out of a can. The soda must come from a bottle.
There is a business office in the residence, and it is here the president makes calls to foreign leaders, politicians, and friends before he comes downstairs to the “Oval.” Besides his wife and son Barron, the only person around the residence is Donald Trump’s “body man.”
Most presidents have them—men responsible for getting the chief executives what they need. It is a trusted and largely nonvisible position.
President Trump does his own grooming and is meticulous in his dress. Since entering the White House, he has gained a considerable amount of weight. However, he does not diet or exercise much, believing that any significant weight loss would change the look of his face, which he does not want.
At eleven, President Trump strolls into the West Wing of the White House to begin his official day, which is laid out for him by his chief of staff, who is usually on the job quite early. The West Wing is essentially a series of narrow corridors flanked by small- to moderate-size offices.
The legendary Oval Office is functional but not grandiose. Most meetings are held in nearby conference rooms. The president’s schedule is tightly time-controlled, but he can elongate any conversation at any time.
President Trump likes to use the small lunch room off the Oval Office to read newspapers and watch the news when he is not otherwise occupied. This is called “executive time” on the official White House schedule. He often eats lunch there at around 12:30, usually comfort food like steak, burgers, or shrimp salad. The White House kitchen accommodates rapidly.
On top of the Resolute desk in the Oval is a small box with a red button on its side. When Donald Trump pushes that button, a Diet Coke in a glass with ice appears almost instantly.
On most Mondays, President Trump has lunch with Vice President Pence, a man he trusts. The two exchange ideas and gossip and often strategize about how to deal with the hateful media.
Mr. Trump is not feared by his staff; nor is he moody. He occasionally shows anger when he feels someone is doing something stupid or has betrayed him. He does vent against the press often.
While in the West Wing, Donald Trump, like President Ronald Reagan, never removes his suit jacket.
At six o’clock in the evening, the president answers phone calls that have come in during the day. Sometimes he’ll call some staff in to talk about pro football or something in the news. This is relaxing for Mr. Trump.
He usually departs at seven to eat dinner in the private residence with Melania and Barron, their thirteen-year-old son. Unlike the Obamas, the Trumps rarely go out to dinner or socialize unless it is government related. After dinner, Mr. Trump often watches the cable news opinion shows.
From left, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York; Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump; and Melania Trump listen as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, October 20, 2016, in New York City.
Donald Trump has no hobbies other than golf and is not an avid book reader or movie watcher. The only film the staff can remember him viewing is Midnight Express, the 1978 story of a young American imprisoned in Turkey on drug charges.
From time to time, the president will invite media people into the White House in an attempt to “win them over.” This frustrates some of his advisers, who believe the president is naïve in this area and that the outreach is a total waste of time. But Donald Trump firmly believes that he has vast powers to persuade people to see things his way.
If a conversation is going well, the president may take his guests upstairs to the Lincoln Bedroom and show them Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address.2
* * *
MELANIA TRUMP IS rarely seen in the West Wing except on travel days. Her office is in the East Wing, and her staff is very loyal and quiet. She has, perhaps, the lowest profile of any modern-day First Lady but does have her husband’s ear. Every person in the White House knows not to get on the wrong side of Melania, although in general she is easygoing.
President Trump adapted quickly to life in the people’s house, but six months after his election, he remains frustrated by his enemies and the slow pace of implementing his agenda. Unlike his past life, when he could dictate the action that he craves, now he is stymied by Congress, the courts, and the oppositional media.
Perhaps Mr. Trump’s greatest annoyance is the southern border, where things remain almost out of control.
&nbs
p; And are about to get much worse.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
AUGUST 22, 2017
EVENING
Presidents are human beings like everyone else, and they have their obsessions, things that mean a lot to them. For example, Teddy Roosevelt was fixated on controlling corporate monopolies, preserving wild land, and engaging in acts of personal heroism.
Ronald Reagan was obsessed with defeating communism, George W. Bush with exacting retribution for the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
President Donald Trump also has specific things that drive him in the policy arena. His mind is sharp, but his concentration is limited. He absorbs information quickly, but it is only with topics that interest him that he becomes truly engaged.
The four pillars of Trump’s presidency are these: improving the economy, stopping illegal immigration, defeating Islamic terrorism, and preventing foreign nations from exploiting America financially.
Donald Trump is fanatical on those things; everything else is secondary.
By contrast, President Obama’s passion was using the federal government to directly improve the economic circumstance of the “have nots” by providing subsidized health care access and redistributing wealth through a variety of entitlement programs.
Imposing “social justice” by federal regulation was also an Obama obsession.
All else was all else.
The visions of Presidents Trump and Obama could not be farther apart. Same thing with their demeanors. It is somewhat amazing that a country could elect these two polar opposites as leaders in the span of four years.
* * *
IT IS ANOTHER scorching day in Arizona, and President Trump’s presence here is making things even hotter. This morning he visited border officials in Yuma, where illegal immigration has been partially checked. Later he will hold a rally in Phoenix.
In 2006, under President Bush, there were just five miles of border fence in Yuma. Eleven years later, there are sixty-three miles of barrier in the sector, and migrant apprehensions have dropped 80 percent.
This is what Donald Trump has come to see and hear. Building a border wall is a signature issue for him, and he well understands that his core supporters expect him to put the wall up.
But there is fierce opposition to any tough measures to impede illegal immigration, including the wall. Many Democrats in Congress need the votes of Hispanic Americans, and most Hispanics are registered Democrats. The more migrants, the better, is the thinking in liberal precincts.
As with Muslims, President Trump does not have disdain for individual Latin American people. His business operations hire plenty of them. He does not think Hispanics are “bad” or not worthy of respect.
But Mr. Trump does not respect countries like Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, where corruption and violence rule. He does not believe that the United States has an obligation to accept millions of migrants who will, at least initially, have to be publicly supported.
Mr. Trump is also a “law and order” guy who is furious that federal immigration law is not being obeyed in places like California. He does not oppose immigration, but he demands that it be legal and regulated. He wants achievers to come to America, not those who might be dependent. The president promotes “merit-based immigration.”
That core belief puts him in conflict with liberal thinkers, some of whom are demonstrating against Donald Trump right now. In fact, the Phoenix Police have fired tear gas canisters at those aggressively protesting outside the convention center.
Inside, about fifteen thousand people are attending the “Make America Great Again” rally. The president will speak for one hour and fifteen minutes, saying, among a number of other things, that he might shut down the government if Congress does not allocate money for a border wall. That statement will be realized.
President Trump also continues to put forth that “Mexico will pay for the wall.” But this is rhetorical sleight of hand. The government in Mexico City would, under no circumstances, give the United States cash for a barrier; that is obvious.
The president, however, plans a tax on Mexican imports that would bring in revenue, thus offsetting the cost of the wall. Hence his assertion that Mexico will “pay.”
The Hate Trump media, of course, is invested in portraying the president’s immigration policy as racist. Just like the “travel ban.” Just like the Obama birth certificate deal. This is a cheap line of attack but an effective one; millions of Americans are buying it.
It is true, however, that President Trump divides the world and its leaders into winners and losers.
He has never felt a responsibility to the losers.
* * *
THROUGHOUT LATE SUMMER and autumn 2017, President Trump ramps up his agenda. In September, he speaks to the United Nations, calling the despotic leader of North Korea “Little Rocket Man” (Elton John cringes), denouncing Iran, and praising Jordan for accepting refugees from Syria in the fight against ISIS.
He meets with a variety of world leaders, and his days are full of action, which he likes a lot. Many Diet Cokes are consumed.
Meanwhile, the Russian collusion investigation continues to burn, and nearly every day the press drops another “bombshell,” citing anonymous sources that claim Trump attended satanic rituals with Putin or something.
Despite the distractions, Donald Trump maintains his routine, using Twitter to hit his enemies, seeking approval among his base.
But President Trump knows there is one thing, above all, that he must accomplish if he has any hope of getting reelected.
And that one thing is about to drop.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
WASHINGTON, DC
DECEMBER 22, 2017
MORNING
Humbug! says the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NBC News, CNN, and the rest of the anti-Trump media. The new tax law will ruin the economy, drive more income inequality, and is an actual threat to America!
President Donald Trump has just signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, his signature campaign issue (along with the wall). Not one Democrat in the House or Senate voted for it. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates also opposed it, as did billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who called the bill “an economically indefensible blunder.”
All the detractors would be proven wrong.
As he prepares to fly to Palm Beach, Florida, for Christmas, President Trump is outwardly cocky, but surely he knows how close he has come to Armageddon. His tax revision bill passed in the Senate by just two votes.
The president had already seen his campaign promise to expunge Obamacare fail by one vote, Senator John McCain’s, and if his tax vision had been defeated, his entire administration would have been in great jeopardy. That’s because Mr. Trump is counting on a much lower corporate tax rate to electrify the economy. Now he has it.
The American left is in a fury over the new law because it drops the corporate tax burden from 35 to 21 percent, opens up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, and removes the “individual mandate” from the Affordable Care Act that forced Americans to buy premiums or be punished by the federal government. This was a centerpiece of Obamacare.
With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Trump has destroyed three of the sacred scriptures of liberalism: high business taxes, limiting fossil fuels, and adoring Barack Obama.
Although he does not yet realize it, the new tax law is the final indignity for President Trump’s opposition. From now on they will become even more ferocious, stepping up the campaign to remove the president from office. Many who despise Trump are convinced that Special Counsel Mueller will find felonious activity on the president’s part during the campaign, and that will lead to impeachment and conviction.
They will be proven wrong as well.
But for now, the Christmas season is open season on President Trump. According to much of the national media, he is brutalizing the poor. He is also adding to climate change danger a
nd damaging the planet. And perhaps worst of all, he has disrespected the sainted Barack Obama.
Trump. Has. To. Go.
As he boards Air Force One, President Trump is likely not thinking about any of that. He is not a man who dwells on the possible unintended consequences of his actions. He is certain that he finally has a “huge” win, and if his economic view is correct, his supporters and detractors will soon have more money in their possession.
For the president, this is the ultimate deal, the one that will ensure his place in history.
* * *
IT HAS BEEN nine years since the American economy was a source of hope for working people. In 2007, years of corporate greed and hidden criminality in the home mortgage area subverted the entire economy, leading to a massive recession. It all happened during President George W. Bush’s second term, and doomed the Republican Party. The best illustration of what exactly occurred can be found in the book (and later the movie) The Big Short.
Senator Barack Obama’s charisma totally overwhelmed his challenger, John McCain, in the 2008 presidential election. Mr. Obama took office along with a Democratic congress. The new president believed that strict new government regulations and strong federal control of the private marketplace would bring the economy around.
Barack Obama was wrong.
Perhaps the best assessment of what happened on Obama’s watch comes from Martin Regalia, the former chief economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Since mid-2009, the economy adjusted for inflation has grown at a 2.1 percent annual pace … the worst economic recovery in the post–World War II era.…
“The average length of time that the economy has taken to regain its long-run potential in the eight post–[World War II] recoveries has been 11.5 months … fully six years after the end of the [Bush the Younger] recession, our economy has yet to regain its potential.…
The United States of Trump Page 23