President Donald Trump may have won over support by arguing that his style of business leadership was a perfect fit for the White House, but a new report indicates his approach is leaving the real-world executive branch in chaos.
The report came a day after a former CIA chief of staff described the Trump White House as a "runaway train" in light of the possibility that former national security adviser Michael Flynn will testify about the Trump campaign's alleged relationship with Russia. Although Trump traditionally has created fiercely competitive sub-groups within his organization and then made decisions based on their in-fighting, the advice of his family members, and his own off-the-cuff instincts, he has found that this approach has left the executive branch in chaos, according to a report by Axios.
"Trump is thinking through his frustrations. The team didn't put the windows in right," an anonymous source close to the Trump White House told Axios. And when the lights are turned off, the backbiting continues.
Come nightfall, Trump is often on the phone with billionaire, decades-long friends, commiserating and critiquing his own staff. His most important advisers are often working the phone themselves, trashing colleagues and either spreading or beating down rumors of turmoil and imminent changes.
The report comes as White House is dealing with a major shakeup.
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus' deputy, Katie Walsh, is leaving her position. One senior official told Axios that Trump is governing in the same way that he campaigned, in which he and his team "rode something until it didn't work any more. We recognized it didn't work, we changed it, we adjusted it and then we kind of got better ... [T]his was much more entrepreneurial."
He added that they plan to "keep adjusting until we get it right."
Shares