Archive for the ‘Donald Trump’ Category

Donald Trump sounds like he really misses not being president – CNN

"I loved my previous life, I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters. "I actually, this is more work than my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

Then, later: "I do miss my old life. This -- I like to work. But this is actually more work."

That sentiment is, in a word, strange. For a few reasons.

It's absolutely true that all presidents express -- privately and then, eventually, publicly -- some level of longing for the life they left behind or the life they will return to. But that usually happens after, say, seven or eight years in the White House. Not after 99 days.

The truth is -- and even Donald Trump might admit this in his most candid moments -- that he had almost zero idea of what being president would entail when he started running for the office almost two years ago now.

When he entered the race in June 2015, there was no reasonable expectation that he would even sniff the top tier of the Republican field. He was seen as a curiosity, a celebrity calling everyone's bluff who said he never could, should or would run.

Throughout the campaign -- even as he improbably rose to the top of the GOP field and stayed there -- Trump would always tell his crowds that being president would be easy, and that he would solve the problems of the country so quickly they wouldn't believe it.

"Together we're going to deliver real change that once again puts Americans first," Trump promised a Florida audience last October. "You're going to have such great health care, at a tiny fraction of the costand it's going to be so easy."

(Nota bene: Republican attempts to even hold a vote on legislation that would reform and replace the Affordable Care Act died Thursday night. For the second time in as many months.)

It's, of course, true that no president is ever, really, ready for the job when they come into office. But Trump's understanding of the office -- and of the political process was minuscule. He had never run for or served in any elected office. (Say what you will about the relative inexperience of George W. Bush and Barack Obama before ascending to the presidency but they had been elected and served as governor and senator, respectively.) Trump's experience in politics, by contrast, amounted to giving money when someone asked him to. And that's about it.

Which is how someone who has been president for the last 99 days can repeatedly express amazement that the job is hard -- far harder than he expected -- and wax nostalgic about his old life.

Trump's old life was, without question, easier than his current one. He starred in a reality TV show. He was the brand manager of a company built around his ostentatious personality. He did, basically, what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it.

Now his life is totally and completely proscribed. He has very little agency in all of it. He goes where he is told when he is told. And much of what Trump does on a daily basis is a radical departure from the "being Donald Trump" role that he had been playing for decades prior to winning the White House. He has to confront problems -- the Middle East, North Korea, healthcare -- in which he can't just snap his fingers, make a decision and move on. Nothing -- or almost nothing-- is black and white. It's all shades of gray. It's, um, hard.

Given all of that, it's easy to see why Trump might pine for the simpler life he led prior to being elected president. It's just very, very odd he decided to say that publicly less than 100 days into his administration.

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Donald Trump sounds like he really misses not being president - CNN

Here’s the best way to change Donald Trump’s mind – CNN

What changed? He talked to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto.

"I get a call from Mexico yesterday, 'We hear you're going to terminate NAFTA.' I said that's right. They said, 'Is there any way we can do something without you -- without termination?' I said, 'What do you want to do?' He said, 'Well, we'd like to negotiate.' I said we'll think about it. Then I get a call, and they call me, I get a call from Justin Trudeau and he said, 'We'd like to see if we can work something out,' and I said that's fine.'"

What's important here: By Trump's account, two leaders of foreign countries came as supplicants to him. They called him, asked him not to do it. He, as a flexible negotiator, said OK. Because he believed them when they told him, personally, that they would renegotiate the deal in ways more favorable to the United States.

The NAFTA phone calls are far from an isolated incident when it comes to just how much power Trump invests in relationships with people. If he talks to you, if you are nice to him, if he feels as though you connected on some level, he is much, much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Coming out of it, Trump makes it sound as though he and Xi may be co-starring in a buddy comedy sometime soon.

"Look, my problem is I have established a very good personal relationship with President Xi. I really feel that he is doing everything in his power to help us with a big situation," Trump told Reuters regarding North Korea's ongoing pursuit of a nuclear weapon.

Added Trump: "He's a good man. He's a very good man and I got to know him very well." (Related: Trump has cited the duo's relationship as one of the reasons he isn't labeling China a currency manipulator any more.)

Reminder: Trump spent roughly 48 hours with Xi. They had not met each other previously. Could the meetings possibly have gone so well that Trump is now convinced China is going to help the US on North Korean containment and is going to stop manipulating their own currency?

Trump's background is as an old-school businessman -- he likes to look people in the eye or talk to them on the phone, not shoot emails back and forth. And he believes very strongly in his gut reactions to these meetings. In fact, he is using that gut to guide American foreign policy at the moment.

So, if you don't like the way Trump appears to be heading on an issue, call him up. Meet with him. Tell him how reasonable you are and how powerful he and the United States are. You might just get a change of heart.

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Here's the best way to change Donald Trump's mind - CNN

Donald Trump Mocks Elizabeth Warren 2020 Challenge In 1st POTUS Address To NRA Convention Since Reagan Era – Deadline


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Donald Trump Mocks Elizabeth Warren 2020 Challenge In 1st POTUS Address To NRA Convention Since Reagan Era
Deadline
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Donald Trump Mocks Elizabeth Warren 2020 Challenge In 1st POTUS Address To NRA Convention Since Reagan Era - Deadline

Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, NFL Draft: Your Friday Briefing – New York Times


New York Times
Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, NFL Draft: Your Friday Briefing
New York Times
Two refugees, left, helped pick strawberries in Weimar, Germany. The city of 65,000 has absorbed 900 migrants in a year, and our journalists spent months following their experiences. Credit Mauricio Lima for The New York Times. (Want to get this ...

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Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, NFL Draft: Your Friday Briefing - New York Times

Howard Stern was 100% right about Donald Trump – CNNMoney

Donald Trump told Reuters in an interview this week that he misses the days before he was president.

"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," he said. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

12 days into Trump's presidency, Stern, the radio shock jock and Trump's longtime friend, publicly predicted this moment. During the Feb. 1 broadcast of his show, Stern said he'd told Trump early on that the presidency wouldn't be good for him.

"I really was sincere, I said, 'Why would you want to be the president of the United States? You're not going to be beloved, it's going to be a f*cking nightmare in your life," Stern recalled telling Trump in audio first flagged by CNN's KFile.

"He stepped into a situation that's really not a win for him," he added. "He's a 70 year-old guy, he's got a great life, gorgeous wife, great kids, he's got helicopters, airplanes, all the accoutrements of the great life... so now to step into this f*cking mess, and for what? There are people who are better suited for this kind of thing.

"He didn't need this in his life."

The two men know each other fairly well. Trump was a frequent guest on Stern's radio program for years, and even attended Stern's 2008 wedding.

In the February broadcast, Stern -- who supported Hillary Clinton over Trump -- noted that he still considers Trump a friend, but said that he hadn't heard from him as much as the campaign progressed.

Stern said he believed the presidency wouldn't be a "healthy experience for Trump."

"I know something about Donald Trump, he really does want to be loved," Stern said. "He does want people to really love him. That drives him a lot. I think that he has a very sensitive ego and when you're president of the United States, people are going to be very very critical."

CNNMoney (New York) First published April 28, 2017: 2:02 PM ET

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Howard Stern was 100% right about Donald Trump - CNNMoney