April 23, 2017

"Why Trump likes his freewheeling Oval Office schedule/The loose set-up allows friends and unofficial advisers to whisper in the president’s ear on policy issues."

Reports/speculates Politico.
That routine traces back at least to his days in real estate. "I try not to schedule too many meetings," Trump wrote in “The Art of the Deal.” "I leave my door open. You can’t be imaginative or entrepreneurial if you’ve got too much structure. I prefer to work each day and just see what develops. There is no typical week in my life.”
One thing he does is watch television. Sometimes he sees somebody on television saying something nice about him and he calls them up, invites them over. Or he just calls in his advisers to talk about what came up on the TV news.
"Number one, he's lonely. It's part of why he's reached out to me," said one confidante of the president who Trump has contacted many times by phone since taking office. "He's always been a creature of routine."
Creative/lonely... who knows? The man is an enigma, an enigma who watches TV and talks about the shows. 

62 comments:

Michael K said...

Lyndon Johnson watched three TVs at once,

Politico is not a reliable source on anything I am interested in.

Leora said...

One of the things that struck me about Trump during the campaign is that he seems genuinely curious and interested in the lives of the people around him. You see him talking to waiters and busboys or drivers and security guards - asking them about how things are going. It's not that rare in politicians - Bill Clinton, George W and Ed Koch come to mind as politicians who talk(ed) to everybody. It used to be a feature of journalists but you don't see much of it now. Salena Zito and the elderly Don Surber are the only ones who come to mind.

cubanbob said...

Lets see what happens during the next twelve months when he has time to get his Administration fully in place and get his "sea legs". If he gets a good portion of what he campaigned on through then who cares about the insider intrigue? Also as Michael K said the Politico is hardly the font of credibility.

Wince said...

You mean he doesn't need a croc-filled moat?

Sebastian said...

So, a creature of routine who just wants to see what develops.

Pretty soon, he'll be able to converse with O about the shows they've watched.

Who knows, maybe next year he'll even have time to fill out a bracket.

PB said...

Politico knows nothing.

buwaya said...

It is a politicians curiosity. Being naturally gregarious is a useful trait in a politician.
The speaking with everyone bit is notable.
Reagan and G Bush both did a lot of this.

Its the opposite of John Kerry and Hilary Clinton, both of which seem to prefer gatekeepers, and it seems to be the case with Obama as well.

David Begley said...

Obama's official advisers certainly had a stellar record.

Original Mike said...

"Politico is not a reliable source on anything I am interested in."

Speaking of which, anybody see what Chuck Todd was pedalling this morning? I felt my time was better spent digging a hole in the back yard.

Michael K said...

Trump badly needs to get his administration staffed and get rid of Obama holdovers.

Otherwise things are going pretty well. George W had the same problem with Democrats in 2001.

Chuck said...

Althouse, about your link caption "Reports/speculates Politico":

I saw a lot of named sources. And a pretty clear specification of at least "nine White House officials, former aides and personal confidantes interviewed by POLITICO..."

You took issue with the Politico headline (which is what you quoted), it seems, and I think we can both recount about one notably bad headline for every day, and maybe every hour of the Trump presidency. But White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders seems to acknowledge Politico's understanding of the basic nature of Trump's scheduling, and she explained it: ""He has very structured things that take place throughout his schedule, but I think to try to change who he is as a person would be a mistake,” Sanders said. “I think it would be a mistake to cut the president off…I think it allows him to be a better president by engaging and having some flexibility."

Pretty much everything about Trump thrills his supporters and outrages the TDS crowd all at the same time. And that is to be expected in the Trump era.

I just don't see anything terribly unusual or unfair about the Politico story. Did you mean to call it into question? You haven't blogged about, and I haven't seen Fox News Channel report on, the question of the Trump Administration's newly-imposed restrictions on access to White House (and the Mar-A-Lago House) visitor logs. You think that is worth discussion?

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

1. Trump did not write Art of the Deal.
2. The fact that he: a) watches that much television, b) attempts rapports/friendships just based on who says nice things/bad things about him, and c) is that lonely - all speak to someone temperamentally unfit to lead the office. Especially in 2017. Teevee? Seriously? Flattery? This guy is like the invention of a sci-fi retro character creation. A prince of Monaco ca. 1100 with a high-tech idiot box (as obsolete as it is nowadays) to guide his sense of flattery/insult.

Why do you feel the need to write such gassy paeans to the guy? Looking back on this, it will be like reading Aristophanes writing tributes to Darius. You're supposed to be critical of the tyrant, and praise the benevolent one, not the other way around.

Yancey Ward said...

Tomorrow, this article will be analyzed by top psychiatrists who will conclude that Trump is suffering from psychotic Alzheimers.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Trump badly needs to get his administration staffed...

Lol, yeah. Minor shortcoming, that.

Otherwise things are going pretty well. George W had the same problem with Democrats in 2001.

Yep. Look at how wonderfully that administration turned out.

When it's that hard to find people whom you think are "loyal" enough to you, maybe the problem is you, not them.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Trump never read the leadership manual where it explained that loyalty is inspired, not demanded.

Chuck said...

The Toothless Revolutionary said...
1. Trump did not write Art of the Deal.
...
...

It's funny; I was blanking on the name of Trump's ghostwriter for that book (thinking that it might have been the guy he later sued for defamation, in the matter of estimating Trump's net worth; that guy was Tim O'Brien) and went to Amazon to check. The ghostwriter for The Art of the Deal was Tony Schwartz.*

But on that page, I stumbled upon a hilarious quote that is so Trumpian in its faux-style, it sounds like something from the writers of The Simpsons or SNL:

“I like thinking big. I always have. To me it’s very simple: If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”—Donald J. Trump


https://www.amazon.com/Trump-Art-Deal-Donald-J/dp/0399594493

You can of course buy a copy of The Art of the Deal, through the Althouse portal! I recommend it.

*Tony Schwartz has been profiled in The New Yorker, and on PBS "Frontline" and on MSNBC, and is now one of many proud owners of a cease-and-desist letter from Trump's lawyers:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/trump-tony-schwartz-book.html?_r=0

Rosalyn C. said...

Trump knows tons of people and likes to stay in touch, that's what I've gathered about him. He also probably figured out that lots of people who in the past would not have hesitated to call now won't, because you don't just call the POTUS to shoot the breeze or chit chat. So Trump calls them because he's still a very social person, not because he's "lonely." He also likes to keep in touch with the pulse of the culture, and tv is a good way to do so simply because that's the town square of the modern world.

I do find the constant negative spin against Trump in the media to be kind of obnoxious. It's like they are locked into a negative mindset and afraid to say anything positive or appreciative. Case in point: the young woman he freed from an Egyptian prison recently got virtually zero coverage. So someone on the White House staff made a video about it and posted it to twitter. Then there was an avalanche of comment, not about the actual event but attacking the amateurish quality of the video. Jeez.

traditionalguy said...

The Loneliness of Command is as an old a subject. Finding a few who can be sounding boards for the Commander's thoughts, but with total loyalty, is all that a Commander can ever hope for in the stress of battle. FDR had his and DJT has his.

Earnest Prole said...

Politico is not a reliable source on anything I am interested in.

Why the resistance to acknowledging what we already know about Donald Trump? He obviously has a system that works for him. Are we supposed to pretend he doesn't just because Politico reports it?

David Baker said...

He also may be a tad manic. Not "bipolar," just a tad manic.

And I'm glad he only sleeps 3 hours a night, which leaves precious little time for liberals to slip something past him.

BTW, when Bill Clinton was president I said they should put a (willing) Playboy bunny in every room. But for President Trump, I'd hang televisions everywhere, including the Lincoln bedroom.

Because to be effective, ours is not to question why, ours is but to do or die.

Drago said...

It's a shame Trump is not more focused on shoving cigars up interns or filling out his brackets.

That's what "real" Presidents do.

Michael K said...

"Are we supposed to pretend he doesn't just because Politico reports it?"

No, but what makes you think they are being honest ?

Michael K said...

I see Ritmo has appeared. Time to do some important things. I think there is grass growing outside.

You may not think that is important but there is no much real grass in Tucson.

Drago said...

So, to summarize "lifelong republican" Chuck, Politico represents truth and General Kelly is a liar.

Unexpectedly.

Maddow probably had something on this last week.

ThreeSheets said...

What's wrong with watching T.V.? That's where Obama found out about everything!

See:
The Air Force One flyover photo Op,
Fast and Furious gunrunning,
Petraeus sex scandal,
IRS targeting Tea Party,
seizing AP reporter's phone records,
mess at the VA,
NSA spying and
Hillary's email server

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger The Toothless Revolutionary said...
Trump never read the leadership manual where it explained that loyalty is inspired, not demanded.

4/23/17, 5:52 PM

Hillary -- the real-world alternative to Trump -- not only demanded loyalty, she kept track of her minions' loyalty with a spreadsheet.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

D-hack speculation. Up next on SLN.

I'm Full of Soup said...

No one could watch more TV than Obama. His first morning meetings were no earlier than 10AM so he could watch ESPN morning reports beforehand. Then he'd watch Fox News a good part of the day so he could do his Capt Queeg thing. At night it was sports, sports, and more sports. That is why he knew so little about the country and the world. But he could fill out his NCAA bracket every year and host countless shindigs for pop culture stars and throw a big Super Bowl party.

Fernandinande said...

In Trump's America, enigmas are wrapped in a tortilla. Cuz you can't wrap something in a taco bowl.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Obama also was so ignogant or stupid he did not know how to pronounce corpsman.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Start believing propagandists like Politico only after they start to find some things to like about the post-Obama's "lead from behind" era.

Earnest Prole said...

What makes you think they are being honest?

Perhaps it’s because the Politico piece corresponds exactly to the Donald Trump temperament we all know and love. The whole genius of Donald Trump’s appeal is that he doesn’t act like a conventional executive. If Politico had reported that Trump was highly and obsessively disciplined in restricting access to him, we all would have known immediately it was fake news.

Michael K said...

it’s because the Politico piece corresponds exactly to the Donald Trump temperament we all know and love.

That may be your reason but it is not mine. Politico is hostile and I have no reason to trust them.

Today, Meet the Press was pushing the story about the New England Patriots boycotting the Trump reception.

The Patriots themselves refuted the story.

I consider Politico no more trustworthy than MTP.

Earnest Prole said...

Politico is hostile and I have no reason to trust them.

I don’t understand why you’re resisting the Politico story in the first place. I thought the whole point of TrumpLovin’ was that he was a bold renegade, but now that Politico says Trump is a bold renegade you’re calling bullshit?

Michael K said...

"now that Politico says Trump is a bold renegade you’re calling bullshit?"

I suspect you are not a Trump fan so I am not surprised that you adopt the beliefs of a hostile source, I read Politico when it first appeared but quickly decided it was one more leftist echo chamber.

You are certainly capable of making your own mind up without any help from me. Believe what you want.

khesanh0802 said...

Perhaps the guy is taking some time to think about stuff. I will bet that if you ask CEOs what they could use more of it would be time to think. You don't make good decisions if you race from one event to the other without really having time to think. To me this indicates Trump knows who he is and how he wants to do things. It's a bad thing that he sits down to dinner with cabinet officers and discusses stuff with them? Give me a break!

Alex said...

I always said Trump's 2nd 100 days would be more interesting because of Gorsuch. Now his immigrant-ban will come back around to SCOTUS and be upheld 5-4 assuming Anthony Kennedy doesn't turn rat.

Matt Sablan said...

I don't remember anyone in the media seeming aghast at the number of things Obama learned from watching TV, like say, major scandals within his administration.

0_0 said...

I'dd rather he listened to his intelligence staff. If the TV providers realize the influence they have, the will ramp up and slant their worldview and desires.

Alex- I don't think his ban will get to the SC. Trump isn't a dictator, and that ban DOES violate the law. He needs to think of some other method.

James K said...

"But for President Trump, I'd hang televisions everywhere, including the Lincoln bedroom."

For President Obama, hang mirrors everywhere. But maybe not the Lincoln bedroom.

Sprezzatura said...

I guess that a tube watching enigma is better than one that's a secret Muslim anti-colonialist stooge of the elite who is trying to destroy 'Murica.


Carry on.

Virgil Hilts said...

I don't think watching TV is a bad idea for POTUS -- at least if you're a republican, it will certainly get you outside of any comfortable echo chamber. But with Obama, I picture the loathsome Valerie controlling the remote and, except for ESPN, only allowing BO to watch pre-recorded stuff that had been screened for any unsafe news/opinions.

Alex said...

I would rather Trump be reading Plutarch, Plato and Marcus Aurelius instead of watching the morons on TV.

Sprezzatura said...

"I would rather Trump be reading Plutarch, Plato and Marcus Aurelius instead of watching the morons on TV."

Sure, those are better than talking heads.

But, they can't hang w/ the best of the tube.

DJT should learn from a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Alex said...
I would rather Trump be reading Plutarch, Plato and Marcus Aurelius instead of watching the morons on TV.


He was one of the morons on TV - a 'reality television' star. Almost certainly the apocalypse has already started.

Alex said...

Is Donald Trump one of the 4 horsemen?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Alex said...
Is Donald Trump one of the 4 horsemen?


Rejected, too fat.

traditionalguy said...

Trump's next red hat slogan: The Freewheelin Don Trump. With a box cover to have Kellyanne in a hug and include Don Trump's dream and Don Trump's Blues.

gadfly said...

@David Baker said...
He also may be a tad manic. Not "bipolar," just a tad manic.

And I'm glad he only sleeps 3 hours a night, which leaves precious little time for liberals to slip something past him.


"Manic" - I can go along with that description. Synonyms of manic: mad, insane, deranged, demented, maniacal, lunatic, wild, crazed, demonic, hysterical, raving, unhinged, unbalanced; (informal) crazy; vulgar and (slang) batshit. Yes to all of those adjectives! Every country in the world should have a batshit president.

buwaya said...

I dont think Trump is into riding horses, but being fat is not in itself disqualifying.
If you've been to the Tower of London, no doubt you've seen Henry VIII's tournament armors in "XL" size. That chunky dude not only rode, and hunted on horseback, but charged at other fellows with lances. He must have had some sturdy horses.

chickelit said...

The Toothless Revolutionary said...1. Trump did not write Art of the Deal.

Did Obama actually write his two autobiographies? I've heard he's now drafting a third. How many can a man write w/o being a narcissist?

Gretchen said...

I love how the media mocks him for following the media.

Oddly, they never batted and eye when Obama claimed complete ignorance about current events and claimed he heard about them from the media.

Jon Ericson said...

Toothless. How apropos.
Meade is making it behave.
High fives, all around.

David Baker said...

@Gadfly;

Re: manic; the applicable definition would be; acutely alert, highly energized, inherently upbeat.

Learn Investing said...

I didn't think watching television is a bad idea

Jersey Fled said...

I had a young lady in one of my classes who worked as a mid level manager at one of his golf courses. She said that every time Trump visited he would greet her by name and took a minute to ask how she was doing. She absolutely loved him, as did every member of the staff. He was always kind and respectful to even the most humble worker.

This was several years before anyone thought he might run for President. I was struck by this because it seemed out of character from his brash public persona.

Compare this to what we hear about Hillary's treatment of her staff.

I think that as we as a nation get to know him and become more accustomed to his style and manner of speaking, we will learn that he is truly a kind and good man. Not the hysterical left, who will always see him as the second coming of Hitler, but many in the middle who voted for him because he wasn't Hillary.

dreams said...

He has accomplishment a lot in his first 100 days.

"On the executive action front, Trump has kept a significant number of his promises:

Candidate Trump promised to "begin the process" of selecting a Supreme Court Justice to replace Antonin Scalia. As president, Trump did just that, and Neil Gorsuch is now on the Court.
Candidate Trump promised to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As president, he did it.
Candidate Trump promised to require that "for every new federal regulation, two existing regulations must be eliminated." As president, he did it.
Candidate Trump promised to "lift the Obama-Clinton roadblocks" on the Keystone Pipeline and other infrastructure projects. As president, he did it.
Candidate Trump promised to "begin removing the more than two million criminal illegal immigrants" in the U.S. As president, he did it."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/byron-york-trumps-100-days-an-executive-success/article/2621041

William said...

Speaking from personal experience, in a large bureaucracy meetings are just as likely to impede productivity as enhance it.

Hagar said...

William the Conqueror was also known as William the Fat and, of course, William Bastard.

Michael K said...

"William the Conqueror was also known as William the Fat and, of course, William Bastard."

Sometimes it can be dangerous to make fun of someone. A town that William was besieging hung leather hides over the walls to taunt him with the fact (or rumor) that his mother was a tanner's daughter.

When he took the town, he killed or sold into slavery all the inhabitants.

"Never strike a prince unless you kill him." Machiavelli

Gahrie said...

I don't remember anyone in the media seeming aghast at the number of things Obama learned from watching TV, like say, major scandals within his administration.

Every one knew he was lying.

viejo loco said...

Toothles Revolutionary (so-called)- Stick to giving BJ's to the bums on Tenth Avenue: it's your natural area of expertise.