1. You’re (never) fired. Presumably Trump thinks he can run the government like he ran things on “The Apprentice” – telling people that he deems not up to snuff that they’re fired. That may be how his campaign works with its revolving door of staffers and campaign managers. But the federal bureaucracy isn’t the Trump Organization. In order for his agencies to carry out his agenda, he’ll need the help of thousands of civil servants to do the work–people protected by federal employee union rules and regulations that are not accountable to any administration. Presidential historians have written time and again about how unprepared incoming presidents are to manage the bureaucracy, and Trump will be no different—just far more frustrated than most. Trump simply can’t fire any bureaucrat on the spot even if they perform incompetently. There’s a whole process in place that governs the removal of civil-service employees, and most linger on long after a complaint has been filed.

Equally difficult will be hiring people. All presidential appointees need to meet federal ethics requirements, FBI background checks, and other security clearance guidelines. That process can take months, even years – which would be infuriating for an impatient manager like Trump. His high-level appointees – such as his secretary of State or Treasury – require confirmation from the U.S. Senate, a body which may not be disposed to do President Trump many favors.