White House has traditions and here comes Trump. What will happen?
WASHINGTON — Outwardly, at least, the weight of his new position has scarcely affected Donald Trump, who just in the last week tweeted with abandon, likened US spy agencies to Nazi Germany, and openly discussed his own germaphobia.
Imagine all that happening from the Rose Garden.
It very well may.
Americans often vote for “change” candidates but the weight of Washington norms usually stifles radical shifts. Trump appears intent on being an exception to that rule, bringing change, both in terms of policy and style; the presidency has never seen anyone quite like him. On Friday at noon, he will begin placing the imprint of his dramatic, combative, proudly unapologetic persona — literally and figuratively — on the 228-year-old office.
“You don’t all the sudden paint the building gold on the outside. But the reality is the presidency reflects very much not only the history, but the person,” said William Daley, a chief of staff for President Obama and the secretary of commerce under President Clinton. “President Obama’s personality very much fits into that style of the White House as historic, very traditional, conservative in a sense. Trump throws that book out.”
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