Crackdowns on China, drilling in Alaska, Senate confirmations, a push against illegal immigration, a string of personnel moves, troop withdrawals, and a victory lap on coronavirus treatments and vaccines. President Trump may not have conceded defeat, but a slew of anticipated executive orders and actions suggest he is not just trying to box in President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration but pile up achievements that can lay the basis for a 2024 run, according to insiders.
A former senior administration official said the flurry showed not just a White House working despite election turmoil, but an effort to cement a notion of Trumpism in the minds of voters.
“I think that this is central to Trump being both conservative and populist,” he said. “It’s to solidify his status with the Republican Party as a new conservative.”
Even as he publicly cries foul over election results, Trump is said to be plotting his course privately after he leaves office. His allies are exploring buying a media company, while Trump has raised the prospect of running again in 2024 in conversation with visitors to the Oval Office, according to several sources familiar with the exchanges.
And if he ran in 2020 on a manifesto of “promises made, promises kept,” then a final burst of activity could serve to “dot i’s and cross t’s” on some of his other unmet pledges, according to observers.
Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser said: “I think he wants to go out with a bang, get as much done as he can, make it difficult for the Biden administration to reverse his policies or decisions, and then maintain his public persona.
“He’ll be the administration’s biggest and most vocal critic. I just wonder if he’ll never stop, never stop campaigning, and just run again.”
Presidents from both parties have long used their lame-duck period to cement their legacy and make life difficult for their successors.
While Trump has kept a low profile, avoiding questions from the White House press corps since Election Day, he has been busy behind the scenes with a number of executive orders in the works.
Last week, he signed an order banning individuals and companies in the United States from owning shares in 31 Chinese companies believed to be working closely with the People’s Liberation Army. Officials have signaled that further moves are coming, including expanding the list of companies accused of enabling the Chinese armed forces, promoting China hawks into more senior positions, and tackling labor practices.
His administration has begun a process that would make good on promises to the oil and gas industry. This week, the Bureau of Land Management made a “call for nominations” as the first step in auctioning off rights to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
It has also been a time for settling scores. Last week, he fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper by tweet. And question marks hang over the futures of CIA Director Gina Haspel and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
And also last week, Trump asked advisers for options on taking action against Iran’s nuclear sites in the coming weeks, according to the New York Times. He was apparently dissuaded during an Oval Office meeting by warnings that any attack could spiral into a broader conflict during the final days of his presidency.
Meanwhile, acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. The plan will leave about 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq by Jan. 15.
It brings Trump a step closer to his 2016 campaign promise to end foreign wars.
A White House spokesman declined to speculate on a future presidential run. But he said that Trump had been elected by an electorate weary of the “same old, same old, business-as-usual politicians” and he remained committed to that work.
“President Trump has rolled back government regulations, streamlined project approvals, brought much-needed agency accountability, is bringing our troops home, and changed the way domestic and international deal-making is done so that the results help hardworking Americans, not the Washington elite,” said deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere.
