Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA2.0
President-elect Donald Trump is a man showing intent to govern in a way that reflects a desire and nature to try and get away with as much as he can, until he receives insurmountable push back. Trump is approaching his presidency by pushing the boundaries of laws, traditions and norms.
Whether it's dealing with Russia, his tax returns, conflicts of interests, his children’s roles, a lack of complete vetting for cabinet nominees or his use of Twitter, we have a president-elect who remains combative with a clear reluctance to let go of his campaign mode of operation. I won. Therefore I am.
President-elect Trump will either rise to the occasion of assuming the presidential mantle, or he will sink. There seems to be little middle ground for a man who has come up in the world working hard to get his own way, although not always succeeding.
Trump and his team have created a transition period filled with strategic chaos being felt around the world. Surrogates continue to be called upon to explain what Trump really meant to say, after he said it, in case people still had any questions. They do this knowing that a morning tweet by the president-elect could undo anything previously said.
The majority of Americans, according to the latest Pew Research survey, give President-Elect Trump "low marks for how he is handling the transition process." There continues to be "widespread concern" about potential conflicts of interest, and his tax returns remain a bigger issue than he lets on. While Trump still refuses to release the tax returns that would provide a factual accounting of his financial interests, 60% of Americans now believe that he has a responsibility to do so. This runs contrary to the president-elect's repeated comments stating that the only people interested in his tax returns are the news media. He once again attacked reporter's questions on the subject at his news conference on January 11, 2017, dismissing them outright. Both the reporters and their questions.
The level of Trump's continued anger and disrespect for the news media and most anything he doesn't like that they report, sets a dangerous course going forward. A president doesn't have to agree with all that is written or said about him, but freedom of the press acts as a critical check on our government. It stands as the First Amendment to our Constitution for a reason. Not since Richard Nixon have we seen a man, soon to become president, continually attack the media with such vitriol.
The transition period between winning a presidential election and being inaugurated as president of the United States is a time for building an administration who will carry out the new president’s goals. A rollercoaster of ups and downs does not a smooth transition make, and the public appears to be feeling its affects.