Can ‘CEO Trump’ offer clues on how ‘President Trump’ will act?
WASHINGTON — When Donald Trump ran his own airline in the late 1980s, there were certain details he cared about. He wanted faux marble vanity tops in the lavatories, he wanted the flight attendants wearing pearls (even if they, too, were faux), and he weighed in on which photo of himself should grace the cover of the in-flight magazine.
But when it came to most decisions regarding the 21-plane Trump Shuttle business, he empowered his executives and delegated day-to-day operations.
“I would say 95 to 98 percent of the decisions we made . . . it wasn’t necessary for him to be involved,” Henry Harteveldt, the marketing director, said in an interview. “He didn’t care about every single thing we did, but he did care about the more strategic things.”
Trump’s executive experience offers some clues, perhaps, into how he will govern now. The real estate tycoon’s outsider, private-sector background was his big selling point for an electorate clamoring for change. But his lack of public service — he is the first president-elect with no elected or military experience — leaves big questions about how he will adapt to life inside the government bubble.
His supporters say his background gives him a fresh take on how to move the vast federal bureaucracy. His critics say Trump has shown little propensity for, or curiosity about, working within government.
Read the complete story at BostonGlobe.com.
Don’t have a Globe subscription? Boston.com readers get a 2-week free trial.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com