Easier said than done, say several former administration officials. Mulvaney’s two predecessors also talked about improving those teams, according to four current and former administration officials. Those efforts stalled out amid the infighting, high turnover, low morale, and a president who can undercut the best laid communications strategy with a stray comment to the White House press corps.

“Whatever Trump tweets out that morning will be the headline, regardless of what the communications plan is,” said one former official. “A lot of people take their frustrations out on the communications team, but Trump will always be the communications director.”

And that can detract from any other officials’ on-the-record message. “Previously, you could have a powerful chief of staff on a Sunday show, or a top official like Colin Powell, or Donald Rumsfeld. That has less of an impact now because President Trump is such an alpha male,” said Ari Fleischer, who served as the White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. “It reduces the impact of those other qualified and good communicators.”