President Trump got to the White House promising to accomplish what others could not. Capitalizing on anger, discontent with the nation's direction and legitimate frustration of those economically left behind, Trump promised to fix "the system" as only he as a political outsider could.
In the campaign in which everything that could possibly have gone wrong for the Democrat did, Trump won.
It's not unprecedented for a political neophyte to jump in at a high level without going through the ranks of county commissioner or mayor, state representative or senator, and on to congressman or U.S. Senator. Wisconsin's Senator Johnson and former Minnesota Senator Franken are examples of those not ascending the typical ladder to achieve positions of political power.
Eisenhower and Reagan are examples of presidents not having ascended via the typical political ladder. But President Reagan jumped in at the gubernatorial level. With eight years as governor of California, he learned what it takes to move legislation and the importance of selecting competent, experienced people to advise and assist him with crucial decisions.
President Eisenhower ascended the ranks of the U.S. Army, and as Commander of the European Theater of Operations had proven experience in dealing with foreign leaders.
In stark contrast, while Trump campaigned as "a businessman," his was not the type of business experience in which a CEO rises through the ranks having dealt with co-equals and superiors in proving his ability to work within a bureaucracy to get things done. Having the money, power and the sole authority in decisions, skirting bankruptcy and tax laws and stiffing contractors is not the kind of business experience that equips one to deal effectively with co-equals and the multiple constituencies of the American presidency.
One can write off Trump's assertion that he knew more than the generals, didn't need intelligence briefings, and "I'm the only one who can solve these problems," as mere campaign rhetoric, however preposterous. But once attaining the presidency, we expect at a minimum, especially from one inexperienced in governing, selection of experienced, talented personnel to staff his administration.
He promised to hire the "best people." So what did we get? His children, who have even less experience than Trump himself, along with a gang of mostly misfits, including some who have no belief in the mission of the very agencies which they head.
Among the top of the list of incompetent, ill-prepared designees is Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. This 37-year-old head of a financially shaky real estate operation, with no experience in governing or foreign policy, is Trump's top advisor in the White House.
Kushner, with no foreign policy credentials, has been put in charge of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, a task which has stymied the most experienced, dedicated diplomats for decades.
But Trump, the self-professed "deal maker," said this would be easy. So easy, that Kushner could simultaneously handle numerous other assignments. Kushner would be in charge of "government reform." To accomplish this, he would head up the "White House Office of Innovation," with the task of modernizing the Department of Veterans Affairs. He would develop ideas for Trump's infrastructure plan. Add to this, he is charged with "solving the opioid crisis."
If solving the Middle East peace process and the opioid crisis were not enough, Kushner is to work on criminal justice reform and serve as liaison to China and Mexico - sort of a "shadow Secretary of State" - and as liaison to the American Muslim community. In addition to difficulty of any one of the arduous tasks that would challenge a talented, experienced practitioner, there is another major problem with this workload. Namely, Kushner has not received top-secret security clearance. We're not told why, but it may not be hard to figure out.
For starters, it has been established and is well known that Kushner, through lapses of memory, neglected to report multiple meetings with foreign nationals on his application for security clearance. His application has been revised and resubmitted for these inexplicable memory lapses.
Then there are financial conflicts of interest.
In 1989, the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform recommended that individual agency standards of conduct be replaced with a single set applicable to all executive branch employees. President George H.W. Bush signed Executive Order 12674 on April 12, 1989. This order stipulated 14 basic principles of ethical conduct for executive branch personnel.
Point 2 stipulated that employees shall not hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty.
Point 3 stipulated that employees shall not engage in financial transactions using nonpublic government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest.
Point 14 reads in part, "Employees shall endeavor to avoid any actions creating the appearance that they are violating the law or the ethical standards set forth in this part."
The New York Times reported that Kushner's family business received big loans ($184 million from Apollo Global Management and $325 million from Citigroup) shortly after Kushner met with their executives in the White House.
In February 2019, the Kushners are responsible for half of a $1.2 billion mortgage for their money-losing skyscraper at 666 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. The Kushners have been seeking money from rich investors, including from a Qatari businessman, without success. Shortly after a recent meeting in Qatar, Trump joined the Saudis in an embargo against Qatar - thousands of American troops are stationed in Qatar - contrary to recommendations of Secretary of Defense Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson. Trump denies any connection between the embargo and Manhattan real estate.
At least four nations have ostensibly discussed how they could use Kushner's naivete and financial condition to manipulate him.
In addition, there remain possible Kushner connections with the Russian investigation.
It has recently been reported that Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, wonders what Kushner does all day. Maybe he's progressing with his multiple assignments.
But probably not.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in the Monroe Times.
In the campaign in which everything that could possibly have gone wrong for the Democrat did, Trump won.
It's not unprecedented for a political neophyte to jump in at a high level without going through the ranks of county commissioner or mayor, state representative or senator, and on to congressman or U.S. Senator. Wisconsin's Senator Johnson and former Minnesota Senator Franken are examples of those not ascending the typical ladder to achieve positions of political power.
Eisenhower and Reagan are examples of presidents not having ascended via the typical political ladder. But President Reagan jumped in at the gubernatorial level. With eight years as governor of California, he learned what it takes to move legislation and the importance of selecting competent, experienced people to advise and assist him with crucial decisions.
President Eisenhower ascended the ranks of the U.S. Army, and as Commander of the European Theater of Operations had proven experience in dealing with foreign leaders.
In stark contrast, while Trump campaigned as "a businessman," his was not the type of business experience in which a CEO rises through the ranks having dealt with co-equals and superiors in proving his ability to work within a bureaucracy to get things done. Having the money, power and the sole authority in decisions, skirting bankruptcy and tax laws and stiffing contractors is not the kind of business experience that equips one to deal effectively with co-equals and the multiple constituencies of the American presidency.
One can write off Trump's assertion that he knew more than the generals, didn't need intelligence briefings, and "I'm the only one who can solve these problems," as mere campaign rhetoric, however preposterous. But once attaining the presidency, we expect at a minimum, especially from one inexperienced in governing, selection of experienced, talented personnel to staff his administration.
He promised to hire the "best people." So what did we get? His children, who have even less experience than Trump himself, along with a gang of mostly misfits, including some who have no belief in the mission of the very agencies which they head.
Among the top of the list of incompetent, ill-prepared designees is Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. This 37-year-old head of a financially shaky real estate operation, with no experience in governing or foreign policy, is Trump's top advisor in the White House.
Kushner, with no foreign policy credentials, has been put in charge of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, a task which has stymied the most experienced, dedicated diplomats for decades.
But Trump, the self-professed "deal maker," said this would be easy. So easy, that Kushner could simultaneously handle numerous other assignments. Kushner would be in charge of "government reform." To accomplish this, he would head up the "White House Office of Innovation," with the task of modernizing the Department of Veterans Affairs. He would develop ideas for Trump's infrastructure plan. Add to this, he is charged with "solving the opioid crisis."
If solving the Middle East peace process and the opioid crisis were not enough, Kushner is to work on criminal justice reform and serve as liaison to China and Mexico - sort of a "shadow Secretary of State" - and as liaison to the American Muslim community. In addition to difficulty of any one of the arduous tasks that would challenge a talented, experienced practitioner, there is another major problem with this workload. Namely, Kushner has not received top-secret security clearance. We're not told why, but it may not be hard to figure out.
For starters, it has been established and is well known that Kushner, through lapses of memory, neglected to report multiple meetings with foreign nationals on his application for security clearance. His application has been revised and resubmitted for these inexplicable memory lapses.
Then there are financial conflicts of interest.
In 1989, the President's Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform recommended that individual agency standards of conduct be replaced with a single set applicable to all executive branch employees. President George H.W. Bush signed Executive Order 12674 on April 12, 1989. This order stipulated 14 basic principles of ethical conduct for executive branch personnel.
Point 2 stipulated that employees shall not hold financial interests that conflict with the conscientious performance of duty.
Point 3 stipulated that employees shall not engage in financial transactions using nonpublic government information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest.
Point 14 reads in part, "Employees shall endeavor to avoid any actions creating the appearance that they are violating the law or the ethical standards set forth in this part."
The New York Times reported that Kushner's family business received big loans ($184 million from Apollo Global Management and $325 million from Citigroup) shortly after Kushner met with their executives in the White House.
In February 2019, the Kushners are responsible for half of a $1.2 billion mortgage for their money-losing skyscraper at 666 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. The Kushners have been seeking money from rich investors, including from a Qatari businessman, without success. Shortly after a recent meeting in Qatar, Trump joined the Saudis in an embargo against Qatar - thousands of American troops are stationed in Qatar - contrary to recommendations of Secretary of Defense Mattis and Secretary of State Tillerson. Trump denies any connection between the embargo and Manhattan real estate.
At least four nations have ostensibly discussed how they could use Kushner's naivete and financial condition to manipulate him.
In addition, there remain possible Kushner connections with the Russian investigation.
It has recently been reported that Trump's chief of staff, John Kelly, wonders what Kushner does all day. Maybe he's progressing with his multiple assignments.
But probably not.
- John Waelti of Monroe, a retired professor of economics, can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net. His column appears Fridays in the Monroe Times.
