Authored by Andrew Malcolm via McClatchyDC.com,
Elements of Donald Trump’s presidential style are already emerging and they must be discouraging to his critics.
It’s easy to miss things that do not happen. But perhaps you too have noticed a decline of trivial Trump tweets, starting spats and news cycles many mornings.
Last week — are you sitting down? — Trump canceled a couple of media availabilities. He turned down ESPN’s invitation to provide his own NCAA tournament brackets, a free PR ride on basketball fever annually seized by President Barack Obama.
When reporters yell questions at Trump now, he usually goes deaf, turning away to converse with others. Avoiding opportunities to use or fight with media has not been a Trump trademark since he launched his hopeless presidential campaign 21 months ago, or his public persona decades ago, for that matter.
During the campaigns, Trump was quite successful creating media distractions to change the topic or detract from opponents’ successes and self-destructively some of his own. Not anymore.
Yes, such recent behavior negates the need to respond to WikiLeaks’ newest document dump, the latest Michael Flynn lie or a goofy new Nancy Pelosi plaint.
But it also allows, or perhaps forces, media to focus on the crucial launch of the House Obamacare replacement policies, which Trump has endorsed. And on Trump’s ongoing stream of executive orders starting the fulfillment of numerous campaign promises. And on his impressive debut address to Congress. How did the boastful Trump respond to all that overnight praise? He simply tweeted, “THANK YOU.”
Trump remains underwater in terms of job approval, but Gallup just found a clear majority believe he will restore prosperity.
Is it possible the demands and needs of being president are steering the new politician into more disciplined behavior? At least for now.
Those demands include selling his keystone policy initiative to the country. And by country, I mean the 535 elected members of Congress who will determine the fate of the replacement for the sinking S.S. Obamacare.
Trump has been meeting all along with congressional leaders. Now, he’s had, of all people, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina over for lunch. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Marco Rubio and Mr. and Mrs. Ted Cruz came for separate social dinners. Social is what Washington calls meal-time lobbying, and what no one expected last year during the primary campaign when Trump mocked those men.
The other evening the Trump White House had key committee members in for drinks and social bowling. The president will be working that Oval Office phone to Capitol Hill, as he has to many foreign leaders since Jan. 20.
Trump prefers that personal touch, as he did in his real-estate dealing days, the opposite of aloof. Both he and Mike Pence are holding a series of “listening sessions” with leaders from education, small business, big business, community banks and so forth.
Somehow, recent encouraging economic news and the administration’s legislative agenda always come up, starting with Obamacare’s repeal and replacement, then tax reform. And most sessions end with POTUS inviting attendees into the Oval Office for a once-rare, much-coveted photo in that fabled place.
Such focused attention by a president tends to increase support and mute disagreement, while fueling positive word of mouth about him and his plans, almost like an investment in a long-term real estate deal.
In coming days, Trump will venture out into the country for what might be called Obamacare repeal rallies. As a new president’s early trips, these will attract national news media and the much more valuable local media coverage. Don’t be surprised if some local TV anchors get “exclusive” interviews with the commander-in-chief.
The idea, of course, is to put hometown pressure on any members of Congress of either party who might be reluctant to support repeal-and-replace with 2018 midterms on the horizon.
You may recall Obama held scores of town-halls to gin up support for his namesake health legislation. That’s when he made those infamous promises about keeping your doctor, insurance and lowering premiums.
Obama wasn’t big on listening sessions; he preferred talking ones. He didn’t meet with the GOP’s Senate leadership, for instance, until his 542nd day in office. The irony is Obama’s party had such firm control of Congress back in 2009 and 2010 that it could ram through the immense bill with not a single Republican vote.
In reaction, the ensuing 2010 midterm elections marked the start of Democrats’ dramatic decline under Obama, costing them both houses and devastating damage at state levels. Republicans now control 33 governor’s offices and both houses in 25 of those states.
Even as a political rookie, Trump is already aiming to avoid such carnage over the volatile healthcare issue.
via http://ift.tt/2nmv65Y Tyler Durden