Day -71: Drain the Swamp?

TrumpTimer watches and tracks Donald Trump and his policies. We boil issues down into approachable and digestible form.

Today is day Day -71 into Donald Trump’s presidency, as in, Inauguration Day 2017 is 71 days away. Trump’s presidency hasn’t even started, and isn’t particularly close to starting, but in many ways feels like it’s already here.

It’s hard to fathom that Trump was elected a mere 36 hours ago, since it feels like weeks have passed. The dust is far from settled, emotions are still high and clearly panic has set in with parts of the country, while jubilation has been set off in other parts of the country.

Let’s get the following facts out of the way before we go any further.

We did not support Trump, have not supported Trump and believe this country is in serious long-term danger (more on that in the future). But, he won the presidency and that’s what we’re living with for the next four years. Let’s hold him to the highest standard possible. That can only occur by understanding what is happening.

Today’s topic: “Drain the Swamp”

Trump ran on a “Drain the Swamp” campaign of getting the corrupt, typical politicians and Wall Street cronies out of office. It took all of two days, however, for reports to come out that the Trump is looking to fill his cabinet with, wait for it, “the Swamp”.

Steve Mnuchin, a Goldman Sachs veteran, is being looked at for Treasury Secretary. Yes, Trump, who claimed Hillary Clinton was corrupt for being in bed with Wall Street, is ready to appoint a former Wall Street insider to be in charge of overseeing and recommending the financial, economic and taxation policies of this country. Those policies will have a disproportionate impact on investors and Wall Street. Will a former Goldman Sachs insider really seek to undo and overhaul policies that made him and his cronies rich?

Other potential swamp dwellers that are likely to get top posts (including potentially Attorney General and Secretary of State): longtime politicians Rudy Guiliani, Chris Christie and Newt Gingrich, among others.

Gingrich in particular feels “against message” for Trump. Gingrich first ran for the House of Representatives in 1973, before succeeding in 1978. A D.C. insider for decades, including as Speaker of the House, Gingrich certainly feels antithetical to Trump’s “swamp” message.

Particularly funny in a very, very dark way: word is that Donald Trump, Jr. is interested in a Cabinet position. Drain the Swamp or Fill the Swamp?

-71 days in, 1532 to go.