Trump Is Using His Transition as a Distraction
The president-elect’s focus on issues such as efficiency and health is a way to avoid major questions about how he plans to actually govern.
Some parts of the transition are normal.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP
So far, Donald Trump’s presidential transition has been a demonstration of his genius for branding and publicity. Whether it is the specter of recess appointments, the “Department of Government Efficiency” or an alleged program to “Make America Healthy Again,” he has mostly managed to keep attention on issues that are either irrelevant or entirely made up.
I don’t mean to minimize the dangers of Trump’s approach. But it’s also more than a little silly. Pruning the bureaucracy might or might not be a good idea, but eliminating the entire federal civilian workforce would have a relatively minor impact on government spending. Recess appointments are unlikely, not least because many conservatives oppose them. It’s not as if his would be the first administration to promote healthy eating. And so on.