| | | | President Trump's very small (and shrinking) inner circle | | President Donald Trump promised during the campaign to stock his White House with "the best people in the world" -- but it's turning out more like "the best people in the immediate circle of people who I directly know."
One of the things that helped Dr. Ronny Jackson get the job was that the President appreciated the way he defended Trump's health during a White House press conference. Loyalty is the key theme of Trump's management style.
When his campaign needed some help in 2016, he went to the Republican operative who lived nearest -- literally in Trump Tower -- to take things over: Paul Manafort. His daughter and son-in-law both ended up as senior advisers in the White House. His longtime bodyguard and head of security, Keith Schiller, got a key role, too, as deputy assistant to the President and director of Oval Office operations.
And so did his former golf caddy, Dan Scavino, who became social media director during the campaign and is now White House director of social media and assistant to the President. It's also how, at the ripe age of 26, Hope Hicks became White House communications director. She'd been with Trump throughout the campaign and, by all accounts, the President trusted her.
He had already blown through more seasoned people in the role. Mike Dubke, the longtime Republican operative, had left quietly after a few months on the job. Anthony Scaramucci left after a few days. Hicks, already at the President's side, ultimately got the big job.
The problem is that Trump seems to be running out of people close to him who he trusts. Schiller left for a bigger paycheck. Hicks resigned after she admitted to House investigators that she'd told what were described as white lies on behalf of the President and also became embroiled in the controversy around the denied security clearance of Rob Porter, the former Trump staff secretary with whom she was romantically linked and who was accused of spousal abuse by two ex-wives. Porter has denied the allegations.
Hicks' last day was Thursday. Now CNN's Kevin Liptak reports the President is being told by some allies he doesn't even need a communications director. Or a chief of staff. His relationship with chief of staff John Kelly has been up and down, and Liptak reports he has been finding ways around Kelly on some key decisions recently. Kelly took the job over after the previous chief of staff, Reince Priebus, left. Kelly was not a Trump insider, but first gained the President's trust as his first secretary of homeland security.
The Point: All this is evidence the President's circle is very small. And that can be problematic, when running the country is such a very big job.
Read my full take here.
- Z. Byron Wolf | | "The environment in Washington has turned so toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive that it became impossible for me to accomplish the important work that our veterans need and deserve."
-Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, in a farewell op-ed in The New York Times. The piece came hours after President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that he would replace his VA secretary. | | | Speaking of Shulkin: While in Ohio on Thursday, President Trump said he made changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs because he wanted veterans to "have real choice" and the ability to "run to a private doctor."
"We are going to have real choice. That is why I made some changes, because I wasn't happy with the speed with which our veterans were taken care of," Trump said. "I wasn't happy with it. And we have made a lot of progress."
Read more in CNN's story by Juana Summers and Dan Merica. | | | Beck released a video for his single "Colors," from last year's album -- and it stars Alison Brie! You can watch it on Apple Music, or a clip of it on YouTube here. | | CNN's Tal Kopan reported Thursday: "The Trump administration plans to require immigrants applying to come to the United States to submit five years of social media history, it announced Thursday, setting up a potential scouring of their Twitter and Facebook histories. The move follows the administration's emphasis on 'extreme vetting' of would-be immigrants to the United States, and is an extension of efforts by the previous administration to more closely scrutinize social media after the San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack.
"According to notices submitted by the State Department on Thursday, set for formal publication on Friday, the government plans to require nearly all visa applicants to the United States to submit five years of social media handles for specific platforms identified by the government -- and with an option to list handles for other platforms not explicitly required."
Read more here. | | CNN's Eric Bradner reports: "The Democratic advantage on the generic congressional ballot has tightened to 6 percentage points, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds.
"The poll finds that 50% of registered voters say they prefer a Democrat in their congressional district, while 44% say they want a Republican. That's a major shift in favor of the GOP since February, when Democrats held a 16-point edge. It's much closer to January, when their lead was just 5 points."
Read more in Eric's story here; and view our poll results here. | | TRUMP'S CONGRATULATORY CALL TO ... | | ABC's revival of "Roseanne" premiered on Tuesday to a staggering 18.2 million viewers, CNN Money reported Thursday. It has also has received mostly positive reviews from critics. The reboot's successful return got the President's attention.
CNN's Kevin Liptak reports: "After posting gangbuster ratings for the reboot of her late 20th-century sitcom, Roseanne Barr received a call from President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The White House declined to provide any additional details about the call, which occurred on a day when the President had no public events. Barr is a vocal Trump supporter, and her revived "Roseanne" has been viewed as the latest chapter in the culture wars. Trump has historically been highly attuned to television ratings, including his own as the host of NBC's 'The Apprentice.'"
During a speech in Cleveland on Thursday, Trump said he took a phone call from television producer Mark Burnett, who asked whether he'd seen Roseanne's ratings. "Look at Roseanne — look at her ratings," Trump said. "They were unbelievable. Over 18 million people. And it was about us." He said the mainstream media hadn't "figured it out yet."
Read more in Kevin's full story here. | |  | | H/T Brenna | | | Repeat after us: It's almost Friday. Thanks for reading, and please tell others to read and subscribe, too! | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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