(CNN)The closer we get to Election Day, the more we must reflect on the type of presidency we can expect from the winning candidate. Will the country get the “Team of Rivals” described by Doris Kearns Goodwin in her book about Lincoln’s cabinet or, perhaps, a collection of Yes Men of the sort who helped Richard Nixon self-destruct?
CNN brings you the stories of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump from those who know them best in two CNN Special Reports, “Unfinished Business: The Essential Hillary Clinton” and “All Business: The Essential Donald Trump.” The documentaries air back-to-back starting Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
During his lurching campaign, Donald Trump has sought to reassure the nation that he “is going to get great people” to help him once he’s seated in the Oval Office. The implication is that he will make up for his own lack of experience and expertise by creating a stellar cabinet and recruiting thousands of lower-level officials who will help him fulfill his pledge to “Make America Great Again.”
Surrogates, who are supposed to faithfully represent the candidate’s views, haven’t provided any more clarity. Instead they have used salesmanship and buzzwords to insist a muddled argument is crystal clear. The silliest example was Donald Trump Jr.’s use of the term “baby steps” to justify the candidate’s retreat from his promise to immediately deport millions.
How did the Trump campaign get so confused on immigration? The problem started with the man in charge. In typical fashion, Trump recruited a seasoned advisor, Mark Kirkorian, who has studied the issue for 20 years. When asked to comment on the confusion over Trump’s immigration plan, Kirkorian replied that the candidate does have a detailed proposal. He then added, “It’s just that he’s never read it.”
Remarkably, Trump has not improved management of his campaign with time. Politico reported that as of September 1, some campaign staffers don’t know who makes decisions and what the overall strategy for winning is. Trump has spent precious time in states like Mississippi and Washington, where he is unlikely to affect the vote in November, and a campaign press aide recently sent key supporters an email asking them to cease accepting TV interview requests. In capital letters, Bryan Lanza pleaded, ‘PLEASE DO NOT BOOK ON YOUR OWN.”
But none of this should be particularly surprising. Trump has confessed that he isn’t much of a reader and that he prefers to act on the basis of his instincts. He wants Americans to feel confident in those impulses, even though they are driven by a man with no political experience and a unique record of failures.
The problems in the Trump campaign reflect the candidate’s well-established style. Unable to trust those who know better, and unwilling to learn more about matters beyond his experience, the billionaire who would be president wants us to trust that he will run the country well. If we were electing a salesman-in-chief, Trump might be a good choice. But his record as a manager tells us he would make a poor chief executive, which is every president’s primary job as leader of the most powerful and complex organization the world has ever known.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/opinions/trump-failures-business-politics-dantonio/index.html
