After President Donald Trump’s inauguration, he set about appointing the most conservative administration since Ronald Reagan — more conservative, in fact. He’s accomplished some important policy changes, not least of which is reining in the regulatory beast. And yet his administration, from even before Day 1, has been beset by distraction and phony scandal. Most of that — 95% of it — is fomented by leftists determined to undermine his agenda and delegitimize his very presidency. Still, that leaves 5%, and we have on occasion chalked that up to Trump’s tendency to say dumb stuff, primarily on Twitter, that amounts to self-inflicted damage. For example, his trouble with James Comey really grew when he attacked his already fired FBI director on Twitter. In general, rather than accomplishing his agenda, he fuels Demo/MSM propaganda machine fires of distraction, all because he still thinks he controls the realty-TV script. He doesn’t, even as president.

That’s playing out in one particularly important way — his difficulty in filling administration posts. The Washington Post reports, “Republicans say they are turning down job offers to work for a chief executive whose volatile temperament makes them nervous. They are asking head-hunters if their reputations could suffer permanent damage, according to 27 people The Washington Post interviewed to assess what is becoming a debilitating factor in recruiting political appointees. The hiring challenge complicates the already slow pace at which Trump is filling senior leadership jobs across government.”

Two yuge caveats. First, the administration disputes this, saying there are procedural delays in vetting applicants, and there are people, in the words of Press Secretary Sean Spicer, “knocking down my door” to apply for jobs. Second, the report comes from The Washington Post, which also today celebrates the 45th anniversary of the Watergate break-in. Think they’re not itching to relive the glory days? So take what they report with a major grain of salt.

That said, there are also two sides to this coin. Senate Democrats are delaying confirmations at a record pace, and leftists in general are raising such a stink as to block others entirely. Dr. Mark Green withdrew from consideration for Army secretary after the Rainbow Mafia went after him. It’s all part of the derail-Trump’s-agenda campaign. But Trump is also moving slowly and putting up red flags for potential recruits. When he’s poorly running a realty-TV administration and publicly undermining his own officials, there’s less incentive for qualified individuals to take the risk.