Move over, President Windrip
Who the hell is running the White House? Michael Cohen, former Donald Trump fixer, once described his boss as a micromanager. Every decision went across his desk. Yes, he’s still keeping his Sharpie handy, but does he even know what decisions he’s making? Or what his position is on matters of war and peace?
He’s unsure what his administration’s stance is on whether Iran is building nuclear weapons. Trump Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, says no. Trump says he doesn’t care what the intelligence community (or Gabbard, his hire) thinks. “I think they were very close to having one,” Trump told reporters yesterday on Air Force One.
The world knows how credible Trump’s statements are on any topic. It just doesn’t know what orifice he pulled them from.
How about the conduct of his national roundup of immigrants? Trump days ago bowed to pressure from industry groups to back off deportation actions against farmworkers and hopsitality staff. And then? (Washington Post):
Officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including its Homeland Security Investigations division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants, according to two people familiar with the call. The new instructions were shared in an 11 a.m. call to representatives from 30 field offices across the country.
ICE and HSI field office supervisors began learning about a likely reversal of the exemption policy Sunday after hearing from DHS leadership that the White House did not support it, according to one person with knowledge of the reversal.
“The White House did not support it”? raises eyebrows. Ben Mathis-Lilley questions at Slate, “Who runs the White House? I thought it was the president!”
He continues:
These are things that have happened only this week. In late May, the State Department announced that it would be revoking visas issued to Chinese students in the U.S. who have “connections to the Chinese Communist Party” or study in “critical fields.” But last Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Chinese students using our colleges and universities” have “always been good with me.” What else might turn out to be American policy, or have been American policy already, unbeknownst to President Memento (2001, dir. Christopher Nolan) and/or the members of his Cabinet? It will be exciting to find out.
Who’s in charge of the government?
I’m already afraid to find out.
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