Infighting, missteps and a son-in-law hungry for action: Inside the Trump administration's troubled

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/infighting-missteps-and-a-son-in-law-hungry-for-action-inside-the-trump-administrations-troubled-coronavirus-response/2020/03/14/530c28b4-6559-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html

By Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker , Yasmeen Abutaleb and Josh Dawsey

March 14 at 4:47 PM

The economy was grinding to a halt. Stocks were in free fall. Schools were closing. Public events were being canceled. New cases of the novel coronavirus were popping up across the country.

And then, on Wednesday, the day the World Health Organization designated the coronavirus a pandemic, Jared Kushner joined the tumult.

President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser — who has zero expertise in infectious diseases and little experience marshaling the full bureaucracy behind a cause — saw the administration floundering and inserted himself at the helm, believing he could break the logjam of internal dysfunction.

Kushner rushed to help write Trump’s widely panned Oval Office address to the nation. His supermodel sister-in-law’s father, Kurt Kloss, an emergency room doctor, crowdsourced suggestions from his Facebook network to pass along to Kushner. And Kushner pressed tech executives to help build a testing website and retail executives to help create mobile testing sites — but the projects were only half-baked when Trump revealed them Friday in the White House Rose Garden.

</snip>

[hlthe2b]

1. Trump taken aback when a Health CEO refused his handshake and offered a elbow bump instead...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=1440

Only one industry leader — Bruce Greenstein, a home health care services executive — tried to demonstrate the behavior advised by public health experts; when Trump leaned in for a handshake, he instead offered an elbow bump.


(my mom said if I keep rolling my eyes they are likely to stay that way--oh boy am I done for)

[stillcool]

8. the looks Pence and the good Doctor..

are giving him are like lasers. Guess they're past the eye-roll stage.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Jar-Jar the Tzar-Csar of Everything! . . . nt

[yortsed snacilbuper]

3. What could possibly go wrong,

oh, wait!

[greenjar_01]

4. This stupid fucking journalistic genre of writing up the organizational drama

is barely a half step over a gossip column. Everybody's supposed to fall all over themselves praising Phil Rucker and Ashley Parker, oh what important work they do!

Their work is garbage.

Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.
Report on policy and results.

Fuck these stupid stories.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. I couldn't disagree more

This needs to be aired - people need to know the level of dysfunction in the Executive Branch. Knowing this will help those who still look to the WH for guidance understand that none is to be found.

[greenjar_01]

6. It's gossip

It dumbs down our entire public discourse. These stories last a week and are forgotten, as they should be, because they're fucking stupid.

These stories are like a pale imitation of actual stories about government organizational dynamics that shaped policy, like Halberstam's work. They're a dumb infotainment version of what was once actual analysis. The fact that people like Parker and Rucker parade very serious faces and faux disinterestedness on the talkies every night tells you all you need to know about the seriousness of their work.

[Nature Man]

12. Does it make you mad when people provide context

for the utter ineptitude of the trump regime?

[greenjar_01]

14. Huh?

I appreciate the thinly veiled accusation that I'm some kind of Trump supporter, very fucking cool buddy, nice. But no, that's not it at all. J

[eleny]

13. "government organizational dynamics that shaped policy"

There isn't even a thin veneer of organizational dynamics in the Trump administration. Unfortunately, we've had more Jared In Charge. There's no meat for guys like Halberstam to work with.

But thanks for your concern over what people post here at DU.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Reporting on policy and results is important. But it's also important to know how policy is being

developed -- or not developed, as is the case here.

[GusBob]

15. I agree X 1000

These behind the scenes stories are ALWAYS THE SAME

Shitty gossip bull fucking shit ass writing

A monkey could do a better job

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. "Jared Kushner -- Man of Action".....???

I still see him more as one of the Wonder Twins...

[Aquaria]

10. The Wonder Twins

Had actual skills, good hearts, and got things done.

The Mutilated Ken Doll--not so much.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. A veritable clown show