As a candidate, for example, Trump opposed the Export-Import Bank, also known as “Boeing’s Bank.” After bringing on Shanahan and hiring Ex-Im alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, Trump had a change of heart, and came around to supporting the agency.

If this pattern holds up, Trump could soon be persuaded that a Raytheon-UTC merger is good for the U.S.

This is how the swamp works. Not by bribery or quids-pro-quo (well, except for that Boeing-Air Force thing), but by access. The insiders get all the seats at the table, and they make decisions that enrich the other insiders. Now that Trump is convening that table, there are as many swamp creatures as ever.