Zach Weigel
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Being a leader is difficult. You must find a way to get your message across and to persuade others that your vision is worthy. And given that the American president is conventionally esteemed as the leader of the “free world,” this task proves even more difficult. Therefore, every president is rightfully entitled to a learning curve as he gains his footing.
From the get-go, President Trump has had no problem with publicity. While he may lack experience in elected office, he is no novice when it comes to public relations. Unlike other countries that have both a prime minister and president, we only have a president in the United States, causing our president to assume both roles. The president not only has the role of chief executive of the country, he also serves as chief publicist for the United States.
Most presidents have served as governors, members of Congress, or military generals before assuming the title of president, evincing that they have some form of experience in both leading and rationalizing the decisions they make. Trump does not, but he does excel in public relations.
Whether it be his 3 a.m. Twitter tirades or his braggadocious speeches, there is no denying Trump is great at captivating our attention. More to the point, his recent “covfefe” tweet took on a life of its own, illustrating his star power. Most likely, Trump simply made a typo, yet this simple typo (or deliberate mistake?) generated a massive amount of publicity.
Intuitively, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the former star of a reality TV show is great at public relations. After all, that is essentially the crux of being a reality TV star: captivating attention. But as for the other side of the presidency, it would appear Trump has much to learn if his agenda is to be realized, and subtle signs are beginning to emerge that maybe, just maybe, Trump is starting to learn how to be chief executive of the nation.
Whereas other politicians have experience in public office to rely on, Trump does not. And while this lack of experience can explain some of his head-scratching moves as chief executive thus far, his lack of political experience has been highlighted through on-the-job learning. What has he learned? After nearly five months in office, it’s time to asses that query.
Similar to his predecessor, Trump has learned that it is incredibly difficult to get anything done in Congress. Aside from the confirmations of appointees, Trump has not been able to corral Congress into cooperating with him. Health care is floundering in Congress, his budgetary recommendations have received tepid support, and his border wall is nowhere near being built.
Henceforth, Trump is turning to a maneuver that he often castigated former President Barack Obama for: unilateral actions. Yes, his first orders, such as the travel ban, were struck down by the courts, but many of his more recent actions have been crafted with staying power. Dropping the “Mother of All Bombs” on ISIS and rewriting regulations are executive actions that Trump can resort to as he finds his footing. Furthermore, he has overturned a multitude of regulations in the EPA, FAA, and FCC in addition to withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Make no mistake, Trump has stumbled from the beginning. But he may be finding his footing. He has learned to do things that aren’t subject to congressional or judicial oversight. I can only predict that he will continue to do so in the future as he stumbles forward.
