The Patriot Post® · Trump Talks Tranquility
Donald Trump has begun the process of choosing advisers and cabinet members, and one theme is becoming increasingly clear: Trump is all about mending fences. Over the weekend, Trump announced that his chief of staff would be current RNC chair Reince Priebus, while Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon will be his chief strategist. Bannon was Trump’s campaign CEO. The announcement said, “Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive.” This move is clearly an attempt to bridge the divide the between the Republican establishment and conservative anti-establishment groups.
In another welcome move, Trump replaced the head of his transition team, Chris Christie, with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. This was a smart change, as Pence is a favorite among principled conservatives and will likely make moves to assuage the fears of those same conservatives. That’s not to mention the fact that there are still concerns over more potential political fallout with Christie and the Bridgegate scandal. Trump doesn’t need that distraction. What we’re witnessing so far shouldn’t be that surprising given Trump’s history of having surrounded himself with good people.
As for the agenda, Trump isn’t quite as rigid as the Leftmedia want you to believe, either. On Sunday night, CBS’s “60 Minutes” aired its Friday interview with Trump, in which he was asked questions ranging from his campaign promises to his views on the Clintons. Trump reemphasized his commitment to fixing the illegal immigration problem by holding to his plan to build a border wall and to deport criminal illegal immigrants. But he eased up on ObamaCare, suggesting that he’s open to fixes rather than repeal.
Trump was also conciliatory on Hillary Clinton, calling her a very tough competitor. When asked if he would seek to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary’s scandals, Trump demurred. “I don’t want to hurt them, I don’t want to hurt them,” Trump said. “They’re good people. I don’t want to hurt them.” Many Americans believe the Clintons are bad people and that it’s critical to prosecute Hillary to uphold Rule of Law and eliminate the double standard the Clintons have enjoyed for too long. Trump seems to think it’s more important that he offer an olive branch by way of just moving on.
Where Barack Obama was an idealist whose ideology hampered his ability to constructively accomplish goals, Trump appears to be more of a pragmatist who understands his strength lies in combining the right people to get the goals accomplished. Trump looks poised to continue to do what he has done all through his run for the presidency — defy the “wisdom” of the nation’s political elite.