This week’s White House report card finds President Trump standing in the rubble of his effort to repeal and replace Obamacare after he failed to cut a deal with feuding factions in the Republican-controlled House. He is in need of a quick and important victory, but out graders don’t see one out there.
John Zogby
There is just no way to spin this as a good week for President Trump. Not only is his approval average down to 43 percent, but two polls already have him in the high 30s — only two thirds of the way through his honeymoon period.
In losing his fight to repeal Obamacare, his efforts to cajole and bully both moderates and Tea Party members of Congress also lost him political capital. Is he really going to threaten primaries against Tea Party members who are more popular in their districts than he is? Is he really going to be able to win a ‘deal’ with people who were elected to not deal with anyone on anything?
Then there’s FBI Director James Comey’s announcement of an investigation of the Trump campaign and administration members for their dealings with Russia.
The economy is picking up steam, employment is up, unemployment is down, wages are up, and the stock market is soaring — but these have been inherited by the president. The man who was elected to accomplish a great deal has not done so yet.
Grade D-
Jed Babbin
President Trump had an uneven week on issues that really matter. He put his full weight behind Speaker Paul Ryan’s TrumpCare bill to replace Obamacare, telling House leaders on Thursday that he wanted a vote on Friday or he’d give up on Obamacare and move on to tax reform. Lacking enough Republican votes to pass it, Ryan canceled the vote. It was a major blow to both the president and Ryan.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump tweeted that Trump Tower — and by implication himself — had been “wiretapped” at former President Obama’s order. Last week, Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said there was no evidence to support that charge. This week, the president said he was “somewhat vindicated” after Nunes seemed to reverse himself, saying that there was “legal” surveillance activity on Mr. Trump’s transition team. Nunes also said that there were about a dozen instances in which the identity of people in the Trump organization was “unmasked” — i.e., disclosed — to Obama administration officials. That would amount to a violation of law. Mr. Trump evidently hasn’t yet demanded that the intelligence agencies give him the details on whose communications were intercepted, which he could easily do with a view toward ending this controversy. It’s very odd that he hasn’t done so.
Hours after Mr. Nunes’ statement, CNN reported an FBI leak that Trump campaign officials coordinated with Russian officials the release of information to damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign. This appeared to be a direct attack on the president by the FBI. Mr. Trump’s ability to get this mess sorted out seems to have evaporated.
Grade C-
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Poll and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is and author of We are Many, We are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in 21st Century America. Follow him at @TheJohnZogby
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
