Trump’s stream-of-consciousness approach appears here to stay
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has backed up his campaign promises with numerous executive actions that are generally welcomed by conservatives and voters eager for a departure from the Obama administration. His moves have also been accompanied by stream-of-consciousness moments that are disconcerting but appear here to stay.
Trump visited CIA headquarters last weekend and made comments meant to reassure its employees, particularly given his previous criticism of the intelligence community. “There’s nobody I respect more,” Trump said. “You’re going to do a fantastic job, and we’re going to start winning again and you’re going to be leading the charge.”
Yet instead of stopping there, Trump turned his remarks toward him — how many times he’s been on the cover of Time magazine, the size of his campaign rallies, obligatory shots at the “dishonest” media. This only served to obscure his primary message.
On Tuesday, Trump signed executive orders providing the go-ahead for completion of the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline. Both are welcome moves and, in the case of Keystone, long overdue, as former President Barack Obama had needlessly held up that project for several years in a nod to environmentalists.
Construction of these pipelines will create jobs in the short term and will ease the transport of crude oil to U.S. refineries. Trump was rightly praised not just by Republicans, who have long supported these projects, but by Democrats in energy-producing states.
But Wednesday morning, Trump veered off onto the issue of illegal voting, which he says was widespread during November’s election. (Earlier last week, he had told members of Congress that 3 million to 5 million undocumented residents voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton.)
In a tweet Wednesday, Trump said he would be asking “for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!”
Procedures have already been strengthened, through such things as voter ID laws in several states. And those whose job it is to monitor elections say Trump’s assertions are without merit. The National Association of Secretaries of State says it is willing to discuss the administration’s concerns, but, “We are not aware of any evidence that supports the voter fraud claims made by President Trump.”
ABC News interviewed Rutgers University professor Lorraine Minnite, who specializes in voter fraud research. There have been some cases where the names of people who aren’t citizens have ended up on voter rolls, Minnite said, but the idea of 3 million to 5 million illegals casting ballots “is just beyond belief.”
Clinton wound up with nearly 3 million more popular votes than Trump, but Trump’s strength with the Electoral College gave him the presidency. He won, fair and square. We’d prefer that he show more discipline and ignore peripheral issues, but how he has acted since moving into the White House is exactly how he acted on his way to getting there. It’s a new day, to be sure.