Originally Posted: February 2, 2017
President Donald Trump’s orderly unveiling of his Supreme Court justice selection was tip-top, combining a dash of suspense with the calm decorum such a momentous occasion merits.
It was also a drastic departure from his administration’s chaotic implementation of a hastily ordered travel ban applied to seven Muslim-majority countries.
Within just a four-day span, Trump’s White House team telegraphed what some political observers worry are its biggest weaknesses – insularity, inexperience and obstinacy – before pivoting to exude the most cherished attributes of a tightly run ship: competence, preparation and discretion.
The two episodes could be held up as beaming models for how to successfully conquer a rollout versus how to clumsily botch one.
The travel ban, pushed out late Friday afternoon by executive order, was plagued by multiple problems. The precise details weren’t communicated effectively from the administration to the media, or – more perplexingly – to congressional leadership, key committee leaders and department officials tasked with its immediate implementation. Top Trump aides, including chief strategist Steve Bannon, who views press and even some congressional Republicans skeptically, seemingly prioritized secrecy over substantive collaboration.
This led to widespread confusion over who would be stopped from entering the U.S. and the exact processes that should be followed. At airports over the weekend, stories emerged of even legal permanent U.S. residents being detained. Civil liberties groups jumped into action, and protests fully enveloped major international airports by Sunday night.
It was a policy fumble and a public relations nightmare.
House Speaker Paul Ryan diplomatically dubbed the confusion surrounding the rollout “regrettable.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was passed over for attorney general but still sees a role for himself in a Trump administration down the road, was demonstrably less charitable and clearly pinned the blame on those tasked with serving the president. READ MORE