Day 809: The Trump administration looks more like a desert every day

When Donald Trump proclaimed on the campaign trail that he would run the government like his business, many people were skeptical. Not only had Trump driven numerous businesses into the ground, filed for multiple bankruptcies, refused to pay vendors, incurred fines and penalties, and took shortcuts wherever possible, there was a certain naivete in his words. The U.S. government is a behemoth, with macro issues and micro issues that affect billions of people around the globe.

While the CEO of an organization may feel that business experience makes him or her qualified — as former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is claiming, like Trump did, on the campaign trail — there is truly nothing comparable to the task of being president.

A president must surround themselves with highly competent people who can work autonomously. In addition, the president must be able to delegate tasks to those people. While a CEO may know the ins and outs of the vast majority of the business that they run, it’s impossible for a president to be an expert on every issue.

For Trump, effectively running the country has gotten progressively harder for two primary reasons: 1) his Cabinet and top aides have proven to be incompetent and 2) they keep getting suddenly ousted and no replacement is ready to step-in and assume their role.

Vitally important positions are simply left vacant or a mere figurehead is given an “acting” title. After Trump’s sudden firing of the Secret Service director on Monday, nearly a dozen crucial roles remain empty.

These positions are wildly important for both day-to-day operations of their departments and national security. And Trump isn’t filling them for months at a time.

More firings could be imminent, too, causing even elected Republicans to panic.

The president’s frantic four days of bloodletting at DHS and other agencies blindsided senior Republicans who are already fretting about difficult confirmation battles ahead. Some are worried about the rising influence of top White House aide Stephen Miller. And after November elections in which suburban voters rejected Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, the president is once again making it the centerpiece of the GOP’s platform.

“It’s a mess,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, summing up the dynamic on the border and in Washington.

Incredibly, in less than 28 months, Trump has lost more Cabinet officials (14) than Barack Obama and George W. Bush did in their first terms combined.

If Trump wanted to run the government like his businesses, he’s succeeded. But that’s not a compliment.

809 days in, 653 to go

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