The problem with Donald Trumps blame game
Presidents have long liked to play the blame game. In his early State of the Union addresses, Ronald Reagan blamed the economy he inherited from Jimmy Carter. Barack Obama, who frequently spoke of the economic crisis unfolding as he took office, was called the “blamer in chief” by conservative media; in mid-2009, the New York Times suggested that tactic would not work for very long, reasoning at some point a president must take responsibility for the problems before him.
But President Trump has shown unusual range in the number of people and institutions he's targeted in his first weeks in office: He’s blamed the Democrats for delaying his Cabinet picks. The “low-life leakers” are a “big problem,” Trump tweeted. It was during the Obama administration that “Crimea was TAKEN by Russia,” asking "was Obama too soft on Russia?" amid inquiries into his own team's contacts with Russian officials. Massive voter fraud is to blame for him losing the popular vote, Trump has claimed, despite no evidence to support it.
The press, meanwhile, has taken the brunt of his ire, as he blames the “FAKE NEWS” media he now calls “the enemy of the people” for characterizing his transition as chaotic or revealing details about his phone calls with world leaders. In a bizarre and combative news conference last week, Trump repeatedly said he "inherited" a "mess."
One month into Donald Trump’s presidency — as Americans celebrated the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln with a three-day weekend of ski trips and furniture sales — seems as good a moment as any to reflect on Trump’s repeated early tactic of pointing the finger elsewhere. Not only does it stand in opposition to what we traditionally expect from people in a position of leadership. Its effectiveness also has its limits.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2017/02/21/the-problem-with-donald-trumps-blame-game/?tid=pm_business_pop&utm_term=.67f1346472cc