A month after being elected president, Donald Trump is creating a government set to do what he promised in the campaign: dismantle much of President Obama’s agenda. Grader Jed Babbin details the efforts and gives the President-elect of the United States an A for making good on his pledges. But pollster John Zogby says Trump is giving conflicting messages with his picks and who he meets with for advice, and notes that his low polling shows that there isn’t much of a honeymoon going on. Thus Zogby’s grade is a C.
Jed Babbin
President-elect Trump began the by bashing the Air Force’s contract with Boeing to replace the Bush 41 era Boeing 747’s with a new version, saying that the estimated $4 billion price was way too high. He later showed up in person to tell reporters that we’d like Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much.
This appears to be the first real example of Trump bringing his business skills to the White House. Trump, who reportedly had a conversation later in the week with Boeing’s CEO, was clearly opening a negotiation of which Boeing will be on the losing end. (The price Trump stated is probably the 30-year life cycle cost of two Air Force One aircraft to be produced. The purchase price would have been far lower and will be lower still after Trump’s intervention.)
More good cabinet picks were big news. The Marines landed (again) with Trump’s pick of retired Gen. John Kelly being for secretary of Homeland Security. He’ll be joining two other Marines — Generals Jim Mattis at Defense and Mike Flynn as national security advisor.
Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016
Trump continues to pick people who are bent on reversing many of Obama’s actions.
A prime example is Trump’s choice of Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt — a conservative opponent of EPA’s massive regulatory overreach — to be EPA administrator. Trump’s choice or Pruitt obviously aims to reverse years of environmental extremism under Obama. Trump’s choice of fast food king Andy Puzder and former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration (a good pick for her business expertise) are aimed at the same set of targets.
Departing New York with General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis for tonight’s rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina! See you soon! #ThankYouTour2016 pic.twitter.com/gvRkQkwblE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016
The week passed without Trump selecting his secretary of state. The non-choice hardly matters. Trump is his own chief diplomat and will continue to be on Twitter, on the telephone and in person wherever he goes.
Time Magazine may have inadvertently revealed the media’s template for its relations with Trump over the next four years. It declared Trump “Person of the Year,” in an article that also called him a “huckster” and a “demagogue.” Trump said he was pleased at the honor.
Grade A
John Zogby
We have a president-elect who talks center but acts right. While he has made appointments to Cabinet positions that are clearly consistent with the hearts and minds of his conservative base, he has met with Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio on the environment, placed his trusted daughter Ivanka in charge of issues dealing with women and families, and softened his stances on immigration and Muslims.
At this point in time, he is an enigma. His call with the president of Taiwan was either foolhardy or (more likely) an example of ‘the art of the deal’. But it is different, very different. It is his own style. Just like his pressure on Carrier to keep about 1000 jobs in Indiana.
The markets seem to like Trump in a big way. But he is also thin-skinned. His use of Twitter is a two-edged sword — on one hand it allows him to bypass traditional media to communicate with millions. On the other hand it reveals his obsessions with answering even the most trivial criticisms.
Right now he is polling at a 41 percent job approval. Not quite honeymoon.
Grade C
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
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.” Follow him at @TheJohnZogby
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
