Bare offices
Federal vacancies put U.S. at risk.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke directly with the American people in his fireside chats.
Ronald Reagan mastered the art of the nationally televised address from the Oval Office.
Donald Trump paved a path to the White House on Twitter, 140 characters at a time.
An exemplary media strategy and communications skills sit at the heart of a successful presidency — but it can’t end there. Roosevelt and Reagan both knew that their radio and television broadcasts existed to bolster, not replace, the real job of running the federal government.
It isn’t clear whether Trump understands the difference.
Over the weekend, London was struck by a terrorist attack that left seven dead and dozens wounded. Trump had no shortage of tweets in response. However, the duty of supporting our ally across the Atlantic Ocean fell to Lewis Lukens, a career diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in London. Normally that’s the job of the ambassador, but there is no ambassador. Trump has yet to make a formal nomination and submission to the Senate.
In fact, out of the 559 executive positions that require Senate approval, Trump has left 442 empty, according to the Washington Post.
The vacancies at the U.S. State Department include: coordinator for counter-terrorism, assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, and coordinator for threat reduction programs. At the U.S. Department of Justice, Trump has yet to nominate a new director of the FBI after firing James Comey. He’s also failed to replace any of the 46 U.S. attorneys after firing them three months ago.
(As we enter hurricane season, Houstonians should ask when the president plans on nominating an under secretary for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.)
No board of directors would tolerate a CEO who didn’t hire a staff. No owner of an NFL team would put up with a coach who refused to hire an defensive or offensive coordinator.
After all, the White House is more than the president. Skilled public servants are the ones who work behind the scenes to promote the president’s agenda and keep our nation safe. Yet Trump continues to act like he can run the federal government with little more than a Twitter account.
Trump’s presidency is still in its first few months, but sooner or later he’s going to face a terrorist attack, or economic crisis, or natural disaster, or any litany of challenges that will have the American people crying out for help. And the president will need be prepared to offer leadership more substantive than 140 characters.