Reconstructions of a botched commando raid on Al Qaeda in Yemen—Trump’s first use of military force—noted that the decision-making meeting was attended by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and counselor Steve Bannon, an involvement by primarily political aides that offends many career national security officials.
The examples are notable both for the speed in which they are coming and the obvious skepticism they convey from within the executive branch both about the merits of Trump’s agenda or the methods by which he is trying to impose it.
“Where you have new Cabinet secretaries and unnamed officials speaking out on background across the board about the lack of input screams dysfunction and it’s dangerous and irresponsible,” said a former Bush administration official who did not want to be quoted by name criticizing the current administration.
Trump reached his present station by mocking news media skeptics and humiliating establishment politicians who challenged him. He arguably has earned the right to be contemptuous of criticism from these quarters.
But what he has experienced his first two weeks is different. It is an illustration of something most of his predecessors learned about the presidency: When people say “Yes, sir,” they might really mean “Screw you.”
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