My two biggest fears about this Trump administration were that it would lack competence and have too much corruption.
The Signal chat mess from last week demonstrated a lack of competence.
Overall, I’m thrilled with this administration. It is far more competent than I expected. I am 20 times more concerned about competence than corruption.
President’s unorthodox approach to governing prioritizes speed over cautious deliberation
WASHINGTON—When deportation flights carrying more than 250 migrants—alleged by the administration to be dangerous gang members—landed in El Salvador earlier this month, officials on the ground were surprised to see a small group of Venezuelan women on one of the planes.
The arrival of the women created a problem: The megaprison that was set to house the migrants under an agreement between the U.S. and El Savador didn’t have the capacity to hold female inmates. So the women were immediately returned to Texas, according to court filings.
It is one of the setbacks—both big and small—that stem from President Trump’s unorthodox approach to the presidency, which gives priority to speed over drawn-out decision-making meant to avoid missteps and collateral damage.
Mistakes are seen by Trump’s team as a worthwhile price to pay, people close to the president said, as they enact their top priorities, including the Elon Musk-led dismissal of federal employees, the use of wartime powers to deport migrants and steep tariffs that have rattled markets.
“You only have so much time and you can’t waste the time, and you have to get it done,” Trump told Newsmax this past week in an interview.
Some of Trump’s advisers look upon past commanders in chief with disdain, including former President Joe Biden, who sometimes spent months deliberating before making a major decision. “The consequences of inaction are far outweighed by the benefits of moving swiftly and efficiently, even with minor setbacks,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said.
The Trump administration has also taken an unorthodox approach to some national security deliberations, as shown last week when the Atlantic revealed that senior officials discussed a military operation in Yemen on a nongovernment messaging app and inadvertently included a journalist. Top Trump advisers, many of whom share their boss’s skepticism of bureaucracy, have sometimes cut career agency staff out of policy discussions, according to administration officials.
After three days of intensifying questions about the use of Signal to discuss a secret operation, Trump announced on Wednesday that he would impose 25% tariffs on imported vehicles. The move prompted confusion and consternation around the globe.
