In this time of political sea change, the White House has done little contingency planning.
Few people in the West Wing believe Chief of Staff John Kelly will still be around in January. And Kelly and the West Wing staff spend much of their time in reactive mode, putting out fires and responding to Trump’s latest whims.
A Trump aide told me: “Prepare for something six months from now? We don’t prepare for something that’s right in front of us.”
Sources close to the Republican congressional leadership said officials have tried to convince Trump that he needs to get ready, but they don’t believe the message has gotten through.
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