Time for a New Playbook

Donald Trump faced a number of challenges after winning the election. Many Democrats were totally unhinged and dedicated themselves to do whatever they could to damage his presidency. He had absolutely no experience in government. His thin skin, lashing out, acting without thinking and other aspects of his personality made him temperamentally a bad fit for the job.

Rather than trying to overcome these challenges, he made matters worse. None of his top three aides have any government experience. Now we have a dysfunctional White House with people jockeying for power and leaking like a sieve. His monumental ego has convinced him that there is no need to change. His continued outbursts have made matters worse.

His ill-timed and poorly handled firing of James Comey and subsequent news stories have damaged the administration.  If there is nothing to the accusations of collusion with Russia, the appointment of a special prosecutor gives him political cover. Instead of taking it, he attacked the FBI.

Clearly it is time for a new playbook. I would suggest that Trump take a look at the Reagan administration. Many dismissed him as an incompetent old fool that didn’t know what he was talking about. Instead of anger, he used charm. He appointed James Baker as Chief of Staff even though he supported Bush in the 1980 primaries. This allowed Reagan to get his entire economic agenda passed even though Democrats controlled the House.

President Trump desperately needs to restore order among the White House staff. He should bring in an old Washington hand that can crack the whip. Ideally it should be someone Trump would listen to, if such a person exists. Secondly, he needs to rein in his ego and act more presidential.
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There is plenty of time to turn things around. However, if things continue in the same direction he will be remembered as a failed one term president.
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