The Trump Matrix

The first axis, the X-axis, represents possibilities for Trumpist policy, the second, the Y-axis, scenarios for Trump’s approach to governance.

.. some of his cabinet picks are a little more ideologically unknowable (like Steven Mnuchin at Treasury), and his inner circle remains highly unconventional. Stephen K. Bannon is intent on remaking the G.O.P. along nationalist lines, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump seem eager for their paterfamilias to negotiate with Democrats, Peter Navarro is girding for a trade war with China. And Trump’s foreign policy choices — especially Rex Tillerson at State — seem closer to full-Trumpist realpolitik than to Reaganism-as-usual.

.. On the governance axis, the president-elect’s strong-arming of the private sector, his media-bashing tweets, and his feud with the intelligence community all hint at an authoritarian timeline ahead. Likewise, other fact patterns — that Congressional Republicans are mostly supine, that the stock market has surged — suggest that Trump could be authoritarian, corrupt and politically effective.

But anyone who fears incompetence more than tyranny has plenty of evidence as well. Trump’s tweets might be a sign, not of an incipient autocrat, but of an unstable narcissist who will undermine himself at every step.

.. But you could also imagine an authoritarian-orthodox conservative combination, in which Congressional Republicans accept the most imperial of presidencies because it’s granting them tax rates and entitlement reforms they have long desired.

Or you could imagine a totally incompetent populism, in which Trump flies around the country holding rallies while absolutely nothing in Washington gets done … or a totally incompetent populism that ultimately empowers conventional conservatism, because Trump decides that governing isn’t worth it and just lets Paul Ryan run the country.

 

Shields and Brooks on Trump’s unprecedented transition

President-elect Donald Trump made headlines this week for his reference to a possible arms race and his involvement in U.S. foreign policy prior to taking office. Judy Woodruff speaks with syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks about whether Mr. Trump’s strategy is to keep people “off balance,” as well as potential conflicts of interest within his Cabinet.

Donald Trump’s Plan To Maintain A Private Security Force Is Unprecedented And Very Problematic

As we saw on the campaign trail, Trump’s security wasn’t simply tasked with keeping the candidate safe, but also quelling any vocal dissent or criticism that happened to take place in the same room Trump happened to occupy.

.. Trump’s private security team, a mishmash of independent contractors and part-time details led by Keith Schiller (a retired NYPD cop and Navy vet who has been working for Trump since 1999, rising to become his head of security in recent years) has no clear objective to the American people, the presidency, nor the Secret Service.

.. it’s being reported that Trump is planning on keeping elements, if not all, of his security team in place after taking residence in the White House. This will inevitably lead to an awkward, confusing, and dangerous division of duties in daily operations, to say nothing of a real threat to the office. For instance, federal law prohibits anyone other than law enforcement personnel from bringing weapons into federal buildings, including the White House.

.. when the man is president, there aren’t going to be many people in a position to challenge his unorthodox and self-serving requests.

.. it’s certain that Donald Trump isn’t going to act in anyone’s interest but his own unless he’s forced to.