It has been a remarkable week. Not since President Grover Cleveland won election to the Presidency in 1884 and then again 8 years later in 1892 has a president won, lost, and won a return to office as President-elect Donald Trump did on 5 November. It was truly a historic feat.
President Trump is wasting no time in appointing his cabinet and other offices. All are loyal Trump supporters. No objection whatsoever. He won and was entitled to pick whomever he chooses to administer the nation’s affairs in the Executive Branch.
Unlike his first term when his appointments were channeled to him by establishment Republicans, his appointments today have been vetted by a transition team he established months before his victory. He was thinking ahead. And this is what I think he’s thinking. He wants people in key positions of authority who can be trusted to support his presidency and move quickly to implement his policies.
Trump has no interest in being second-guessed by anyone. He is not in the mood to debate his administration, but rather to direct it. After all of the resistance he received from the first batch of appointments in 2017, I can hardly blame him. He’s the President. The appointees aren’t. They would all do well to remember that.
I don’t have any advice on appointments beyond having a “Plan B” if the Senate declines to confirm controversial candidates. That’s possible, if unlikely with 53 GOP Senators. But be ready.
However, as a former state legislator of 16 years, I have some ideas that I think will benefit President Trump’s second term, one I’m glad he won. I very much support his policies over the left-wing nonsense of the current administration. But there are some other things—admittedly less important than the very serious issues he ran on—that could be helpful as he goes about the business of the nation.
- Abolish the daily White House press briefings: The nation’s news cycle—such as it is—is awash in all things presidential. We’re in overload. I am willing to wager that the Republic can survive several weeks in a month without hearing a single word out of the White House. I am confident that the President can do his job quite well without man-to-man press coverage 24-hours a day. Try this; one press conference, an hour long on the last Friday of the month. If anything else happens that is slightly important, put out a press release. If the press moans and gripes about that, so be it. What are they going to do? Oppose Trump’s next election? Do some press gaggles every now and then while walking to Marine 1, but after that, be done with them. They’re overdue being ignored.
- Play more golf: After all President Trump has been put through, he deserves some time for himself. Besides, he’s hiring people he trusts, and they can be expected this go-around to handle things as the President wants without him looking over their shoulders.
- Use Camp David frequently to do sensitive meetings with foreign dignitaries: The President has a lot on his table to repair in foreign policy and that is best done out of the limelight.
- Visit military bases a lot: Service members in the main love a visit from their Commander-in-Chief and given all the DEI nonsense that has been tossed their way, President Trump can really boost morale among military personnel who love this nation. No doubt it will also improve recruitment.
- Be willing to spend more time on Capitol Hill lobbying for your agenda: The President has a lot of political capital having just won both the popular and electoral votes. He should spend it now while it is available to push his reform agenda.
- Keep having rallies: While unnecessary for campaigning now, do rallies in congressional districts of members who oppose the President’s legislation. Nothing says “I love you” like angry constituents and emails. Put the heat on.
- Move now to break up the bureaucracy in Washington, DC by dispatching the agencies of the Federal Government to new locations across the nation: Aside from the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Justice, the rest should be dispersed across the nation. They can be more efficient with a smaller workforce appropriating more technology to conduct business. Besides, a lot of the bureaucratic dead weight won’t want to move and will resign or retire. Also dump both the Education and Housing and Urban Development. They’re useless. If the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy wants to see how to do this, they can read my most recent commentary in the Washington Times “Uprooting the Kudzu: Let’s Relocate the Federal Government.” Call me. I’d be happy to help!
Just a few thoughts.
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