“A lot of things are not moving because they don’t know what the ‘king’ wants”

Yet much of the power Trump exerts ends up grinding the gears of government and causes chaos for its own sake—just as a reality-show producer wants to create surprises and conflict to juice up ratings. His impulsive nature combined with a lack of ideological convictions invariably lead to gridlock. He campaigned as an immigration hard-liner, but then cut a deal with Democratic leadership on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. His knowledge of health care policy is so limited that he undermines the legislation he champions. As one GOP strategist put it, “A lot of things are not moving because they don’t know what the ‘king’ wants.”

Then there’s the celebrity aspect of Trump’s presidency. The endless gossip over his family resembles the tabloid sensations surrounding the British royal family. White House staffers, like former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer, become celebrities in their own right, in the same way that exiled aides of Prince Charles and Princess Diana command headlines in London newspapers. The remarkable daily conflicts emanating out of the White House—paging Anthony Scaramucci!—couldn’t be scripted any more dramatically on a soap opera or reality show, and in some ways resemble the highly publicized breakup of Charles and Diana.