Donald Trump’s Reputation Has Nothing to Lose
Jonathan Bernstein’s morning links.
Dark times.
Photographer: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
Presidents — normal presidents — care deeply about their professional reputations. Donald Trump showed again this week that he’s different, and it’s quite possible it was costly to him on policies he seems to care about.
I’m not really talking here about the communications fiasco surrounding the administration’s family separation policy. A lot of congressional Republicans would like to have talking points they can actually use rather than constantly changing and internally inconsistent explanations of that policy (or even if there was a policy). But it’s one thing to spin to the public, even badly. It’s another thing to lie to them. And to lie about them.