But while the president has his moments where he harkens back to populist campaign-style Trump — as he did last week in Wisconsin on a buying and hiring American initiative — the swamp he pledged to drain remains as murky and swampy as ever.

There are lobbyists waivers, the White House’s decision to not release visitor logs, and some personnel decisions (like Trump recently saying nice things about Janet Yellen). These decisions have left some in Trumpland scratching their heads and wondering if the swamp was just too rooted in Washington.

“You’ve heard of the Empire Strikes Back? Well the swamp has struck back,” said a source close to the administration. “The establishment has ruled Washington DC for so long, it’s so entrenched and powerful, it’s proving harder to kill than we envisioned.”