Why ‘executive time’ is a particularly bleak scoop about President Trump

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website January 8, 2018:

President Trump sometimes seems to miss his “other life” before becoming commander-in-chief. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

For the past week, all of Washington has been chewing over Michael Wolff’s new book about President Trumpand trying to assess which damning conclusions are actually true. But one of the bleakest scoops about Trump popped up elsewhere on Sunday night.

Axios’s Jonathan Swan reports that Trump has significantly curtailed his official schedule as president — to the point where his first meeting is often held at 11 a.m., and he spends almost the whole morning in his White House residence — rather than the West Wing or the Oval Office — watching TV, tweeting and making phone calls. That chunk of his day, generally between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., is dubbed “executive time,” a phrase that is bound to become the butt of plenty of jokes. Trump then has other periods of “executive time” sprinkled in throughout his official work schedule, which is usually between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Nice work if you can get it. And a short commute, too!) Continue reading “Why ‘executive time’ is a particularly bleak scoop about President Trump”

Is Trump Really Running The White House?

The following article by Froma Harrop was posted on the National Memo website February 9, 2017:

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet a marching band as they arrive at Trump International Golf club to watch the Super Bowl LI between New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Last Saturday night, Donald Trump attended the Red Cross Ball at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. On Sunday, he watched the Super Bowl at his West Palm Beach golf course. As he left Florida on Monday, news emerged that he will probably return this weekend for golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Two questions. Does Trump think being president is a part-time job? And is Trump the one doing the job?  Continue reading “Is Trump Really Running The White House?”