Amid a bevy of new nominations coming out in a classic late Friday, pre-holiday week, news dump – we have an explosive report about “huge fights” among transition team factions currently encamped at Mar-a-Lago. This must be a problem inherent to Trump’s management style because they should still all be mellowing in the afterglow of election night. And yet they have already fallen back to the same stuff that dominated the last Trump term – not a bad thing from a Democratic standpoint. Regardless, we all read reports that Trump-insiders attributed the problem to hiring people who weren’t true believers with unquestioned loyalty. It must be something else because it sure didn’t take long to blow up.
The Washington Post published a new story Saturday morning in which its top White House team details the new developing environment. Though it will be shaken out more below, it’s best to keep in mind that the report follows on the heels of all those nominations so there is an all-too-believable predicate. Indeed, I spent the week noting that this was coming – so did many commenters – and here it is. As the Post reports:
“As during Trump’s first term, competing factions have begun to run roughshod over each other, sometimes kicking up clouds of dust.”
Hmm, I’ll be damned. One doesn’t normally associate “dust” with Mar-a-Lago, more mud but there is apparently a lot of that, too.
“New camps have formed [with] shouting matches, expulsions from meetings and name-calling” as frequent occurrences between various factions.
The report is detailed such that it helpfully breaks down three competing tribes that were also so predictable that we’ve already covered the coming problems.
Let’s call the first faction “Camp Family” as it is led by the likes of son Don Jr., new pain in the ass nephew J.D. Vance, along with old-school “real son” Tucker Carlson. You will note that none of these people will hold real jobs under Trump (The Vice President has almost nothing to do unless handed down by the president). Additionally, none of them have experience as inside-political pros. Make of it what you will but these people have very little to lose – they’re not going anywhere if they upset “the man,” true believers who likely won’t be held accountable. Their views are “pure” and thus especially dangerous because they’re going to cause fights wherever they go.
We shall call the second “Camp White House” because it is actually led by political pro Susie Wiles who very much has a job and will absolutely be held accountable as White House Chief of Staff – a job that was first off the chopping block in the last term. This camp includes members of her staff who both ran the campaign and will serve under her in the closest proximity to the Oval Office. Wiles put together a shockingly clear victory. (Mandate or not they did win every single swing state without any concerns over recounts). She wields tremendous power in any setting but can now point to her success as reason to follow her lead. Trump would probably be smart to do so but we all know his tendency to fire top people at the first sign of trouble.
Last, we’ll reference “Camp Transition” and these are likely the real troublemakers almost by definition. They’re led by – surprise! – transition co-chair and Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon along with America First alum such as Brooke Rollins, Keith Kellogg, and incoming Commerce Secretary, transition chair, Howard Lutnick – who should be the boss and yet is already in fights and thus already compromised. This camp has the most to gain or lose as they compete for the “good positions” while also terrified of being named to something that sucks, or left on the tarmac altogether.
Onward to the fights and – as Rawstory summarizes, things are getting physical:
The Post’s report began by describing an altercation between Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn and transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick (whom Trump has tapped to lead the Department of Commerce). Lutnick physically blocked Ephsteyn’s path as he tried to enter a Mar-a-Lago meeting about potential Cabinet appointees, telling him: “We’re not talking legal nominees today.” But Ephsteyn reportedly stiff-armed Lutnick, saying: “I’m coming in.”
And you’re fired!
No – Ephsteyn wasn’t evicted. But Trump should have canned him, immediately, no small talk, get your box and get out. The failure to do so falls back on Trump and his style. Lutinick is transition chair. It doesn’t matter in the least who Trump named – there has to be a gatekeeper, someone who rules with an iron fist. If the gatekeeper screws up, he’s fired. Until then he rules and anyone who ignores him, especially pushing him aside, should be gone before saying a word in defense. Yes, feelings would get hurt but this isn’t little league. It would take one termination (And he can always be brought back in a week or two, if needed and things die down). They would never have these problems again.
The advantage is that any issue is settled before getting to Trump or a well-planned sensible meeting with a few sane people presenting even saner options. This isn’t genius insight and yet over and over again it seems to escape Trump himself. Onward to the next example because it’s attention-worthy whenever Musk inserts himself into the mayhem:
In another contentious meeting, billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — who is sometimes referred to as “co-president” over Vance — and Epshteyn got into a loud back-and-forth, with the former suggesting the latter was leaking sensitive details of meetings to the press. One unnamed witness described the encounter on the Mar-a-Lago patio as a “huge fight” and a “big blowup,” with Epshteyn reportedly saying: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
It’s less about who did anything wrong as it is who has $250 billion dollars and can tell everyone to get bent, taking all those billions with him. This is especially true when pit against leftovers from the last administration. Musk may be a political moron but he’s definitely not there seeking a job so much as favors. Hate him, to be sure, but Musk ain’t going anywhere, in fact – hate him precisely because he’s not going anywhere with all those billions sitting around – maybe he’d go to Mars. Short of that? Trouble is going to follow, but they’re forced to accept it because no one is waiving away the cash. Only Trump and his jealousy might toss Musk to Mars.
And this gets us back to the big guy’s management style – or lack thereof. The MAGA-community always presumed Trump to be the rich executive of a massive company of the type usually owned by shareholders and managed by a powerful board of directors. But in reality the Trump Organization was always a family company with Eric and Don Jr. as two of the most senior executive Vice-Presidents – which says a lot. It primarily held property that was actually run by others on the ground. Trump has very little experience placating a board of directors that could fire him if he failed – never mind shareholders.
Of course, most presidents lack such experience and thus appoint a top guy (Or woman, as in the case of Wiles) and it’s then his or her job to ensure that everything clears before getting to an incoming president. Until such time, this is the environment they get. Factions must form, fights must be had, losers lose and get left off the on-ramp to Washington. The lack of a true pyramid creates a big circle with everyone fighting to bust out and up. This is especially true in an ecosystem inhabited by the likes of Musk or Don Jr. Again, they aren’t going anywhere and have nothing to lose, making them especially pernicious.
And so let’s end with Elon Musk – because he’s likely enough to ensure that fights follow all on his own. He will never be president of the United States or any other country. No, he has an economy to contribute with a $250 billion GDP. He also owns Starlink, a company increasingly all-too-essential to the net, allowing the world to talk to itself unless Musk turns it off. He has far more power than the vice-president and will use it, fight invite.
This world now has such gross economic equality that we’ve been flung back to the days of royalty, where kings and queens owned empires warring over power. We keep reading that Trump only really fears Wall Street, the billionaire class with kings, queens, princes, dukes, etc – is the only camp or country that can stand up to Trump without fear of being fired or having the U.S. military raining down on them. Trump can make their lives miserable but it goes both ways. Detente!
Musk is the citadel of such power. He would surely be gone given his threatening popularity and power, except his billions would go with him. Plus, he seems to be the new Don Jr. – infinitely richer, even weirder, same daddy issue, but a competing agenda and a real ability to walk away for good, safe that he’ll be fine, thanks.
Gotta wrap this up. But key takeaways. These problems will infect the entire Trump tango until they don’t. It is all dependent on building a team with real discipline under someone who answers only to Trump and can tell everyone else to GTH. Such a situation is fantastic for all who deeply oppose the incoming agenda and fear success. But it can be deadly in one dynamic – a world creeping way too close to war. In that context everyone wants success, at least with respect to American interests. Last, everything we’ve seen so far indicates that this ain’t changing any time soon. Trump famously believes he’s at his best amidst chaos. It is far more likely that he has attention issues and loves the dopamine rush of living on the edge. He doesn’t want to solve this problem or it would already be solved. It is not like he hates to fire people!
The most reliable prediction is that one can expect many more reports like the one above. Fights breed anger and a need for retribution – enter the media. Leaks are the inevitable result. It isn’t a coincidence that people ran to the papers only hours after a bunch of nominations flew out late on a Friday. If one loses the fight within – take it outside. So stay tuned because all this matters way too much to ignore.
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak and on Blue Sky, like Twitter before everyone got on.
It matters not. The public saw and heard his horrors for NINE years and then betrayed our country by giving this criminal power. What could possibly matter to these racist/sexist morons? Many believe our institutions will hold. REALLY? Given all the crimes he’s been convicted of and the egregious nature of his other crimes, and what are the consequences???? CRICKETS! So much for the institutions especially the LAW.
It matters a lot.
Too many believe that things bottomed out and can’t get worse. It can always get worse – until a last breath. Always.
It is perfectly acceptable to take sanity breaks and be with family, loved ones. But it absolutely matters.
jason
Worse? Count on it. When the law endorses hypocrisy and criminality for a malignant narcissist then it’s a sure bet he will do whatever he wants. Sure his outrageous pick of a pedophile LIKE HIM for AG didn’t work but he ISN’T THE PRESIDENT. Let’s chat after he declares whatever to use the military to enforce whatever domestic policy he wants. After January…who exactly will stop him? The rules of congress? The media? The phucking Law? Certainly not the goddamn voters. The biggest mistake in dealing with a serial killer is believing in their humanity. When I said it mattered not it wasn’t about whatever sane folks do to stay sane, it was about him being washed clean by the goddamn institution that has locked up over 2 MILLION citizens for MUCH LESS. A third of our voters don’t give a shit enough to VOTE. And of the voters that did, over half are nazi sympathizers and traitors. The rest of us are witnesses to the greatest crime…the fall of a democracy that had been bled for since the American Revolution. What we will see after he fills the government with liars, grifters, traitors, and compliant idiots, will remind us of Wes Craven. Good luck. As the Zeppelin sang in When The Levee Breaks… crying won’t help you…praying won’t do you no good. Barring a miracle, we’re in the cheap seats to watch EVIL operate with abandon. This time we asked for it.
Scott, I’m placing my fading hopes for salvation with the US military. I refuse to believe that it can be so corrupted by Trumpler that it would turn on its own citizenry. More likely, I pray, is that it would turn on a corrupt president. Given the sordid history of military coups worldwide, I never imagined I’d long for one to occur here, but right now everything’s upside down and inside out. It may yet come to pass that the US military’s finest hour will be saving the American democracy.
There is indeed no law, no justice. The judge in NY threw everything out today. Next will be the rape conviction, and then…you are right about one thing, NO ONE is going to keep our democracy alive. That is true, we are watching it in real time.
I didn’t say that there was a law or that it could restrain Trump. I said only Wall Street to restrain Trump – if anything.
I am only arguing two things: One that things could almost always be worse (Assuming one is alive) and also that one should pay attention.
I enjoy your informative comments when disagreeing. I wanted to set out exactly what I was saying in that it does still matter (Not the law so much as right/wrong and worth people paying attention.
jason
It was more a response to Scott’s comments about all the crimes that tyrant has committed and has not, and now never will be, held accountable for. but thank you. I appreciate.
The truest words ever spoken, tyrant “has very little experience”. Enough said
It seems that every tyrant has the same “management style”, ie. all underlings at one another’s throats all the time. That way, with everbody clawing for the tyrant’s attention and approval, there’s no threat from within to his power. They’re too busy battling each other to even consider toppling him. He can pick and choose favorites as he wishes, stir up conflicts, toss people under nearby buses and generally have a wonderful time. Of course it means SFA gets done in government, which in this case could be a Godsend. They may not have time or energy to tear down all the institutions he’s promised to destroy.
Traitor tot’s flying flea circus, come to DC.
“For what it’s worth, the experience that we, the American people, are about to embark on with this administration will serve as a profound lesson: believing in someone just for the sake of belief. In the end, I trust that America will learn this hard lesson and emerge stronger and better for it. As we witness firsthand how blind belief can lead someone to self-destruction, it becomes clear that there is no other outcome for Trump than to become his own worst enemy.”
The seeds were planted and are sprouting – the explosion of “how can I change my vote?” and “how do tariffs work” Google searches, along with the “OMG, I didn’t know Obamacare is the ACA I’ve been using!” social media posts; they will be watered with the tears shed when the effects of mass deportations that decimate the agribusiness workforce combine with blanket tariffs result in higher inflation rates than we dealt with in the late 1970s.
Trump’s chaotic “management style” is likely to result in more of the fictional infighting described in Jason’s article, which will likely hamper implementation of P2025, giving a chastened and awakened electorate to flip the House and Senate in 2026 (The ongoing chaos should hold the voting public’s attention and anger, making the flip a reality).
Trump is the lamest of lame ducks – old, cognitively impaired, not planning to run again. It’s unclear if the MAGA base will stay loyal to Trumpism once he’s no longer the leader. Unless members of Congress start dying under mysterious circumstances (not an impossibility), the more ambitious GOP politicians will start asserting their independence. We don’t know how that will play out. but it makes it unlikely that Trump’s second term will be a “success” by any measure.
My reply to Johnny Galarza’s comment assumes Trump survives until Election Day 2026, politically as well as physically. The P2025 brain trust may try an Article XXV move on him, and their timing will make a lot of difference.