Does the Trump Administration Know What's Going On? || Sept 7, 2026
On the whole, most presidential administrations have limited awareness of things like demographics, trade, geopolitics, and industrial policy. Naturally, government officials view things through a narrow lens corresponding to their background, such as business or academia. So, that's the baseline here.
The Trump administration is different. They've removed thousands of senior federal officials, eliminated the institutional pipeline of experienced policy experts, and either failed to fill these seats or replaced them with lackluster candidates. Even when the occasional piece of useful information boils up, it falls on deaf ears. But this damage doesn't just stop when Trump leaves office; the entire government structure has been weakened, and it will take years to rebuild.
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Comments (52)
Peter is just a dumb $hit
Peter had Harris by 8 points. Nuff see.
So the very people who have fucked the world up beyond compare are the people you want back in charge? Got it .
so the 6000 federal employees from the previous administration who "knew what was going on" are all needed? Could it be a smaller number? Why is 6000 the magic number? Why not double that to 12,000 and then we would know even more about what was going on? This isn;t about Trump. It
After the fall of the Soviet Union, there were a number of attempts to ship over American and European executives to help Russia transition to capitalism. Let's hope the next President has better luck formulating his executives.
Zeihan exposes himself as another liberal blowhard with TDS.
Take off those glasses . They have TDS lenses in them. I’ll takeTrump’s govt any day over Obamas or Biden’s
Only two years to correct?? Sounds like the next administration's Special Correctional Operation. If the next POTUS can do it in two years, then he (or she) will deserve a Nobel Prize.
Are you proposing that we were better off in an un-lobotomized government under Biden-Harris? With the autopen, excessive regulation, COVID induced inflation, open border, unnecessary Covid spending bills, mandated ineffectual vaccines, NATO weakness endorsed, DEI run amok etc etc. cmon. You talk like government bureaucrats have some kind of corner on wisdom and information. The same people who have subverted efforts to cut government spending and reform bureaucracies for decades. And who engineered an impeachment that wasted three years of a perfectly decent administration. Now you have Trump 2.0 because those same deep state people you respect as experts subverted Trump 1.0 who no longer trusts them. I think your admiration of these government hanger ons is misplaced. And personally I’ll take a little chaos and dint means the swamp gets cleaned out.
It's not just a year or two problem, the consequences of Trump's current policies or whims/whatever you want to call it is going to linger for DECADES after Trump's term.
Peter, I worked for the government for about four or five years DOD Department of defense and I’ve worked for Apple over 10 years. I can tell you there’s a magnitude of difference in the talent why you’re so quick to praise. The confidence of the government workers is beyond me. In Oakland Army base Mick there was one or two kernels and a couple DOD defense department workers that basically ran the entire thing. Everyone else is complete incompetent
It took the US 6 months to get control of Strait and that was even with the horrible MOU. The military (Navy) deserves some credit for protecting shipping.
Give the military all the credit you want, but it does not fix the structural issues. It costs millions a month too keep the military out there floating in boats to simulate what we already had for free.
Excellent summary of this incompetence.
Peter, just out of curiosity, has anyone in the Trump administration (or close to it or even on the fringes of it) ever reached out to you get you input/insights? They should probably just reach out to hear what you have to say.
The next President really needs Peter in a high level cabinet position, or at least someone on par with him
Peter, will you comment on the recent AFD win in Lower Saxony, Germany?
The sad thing is MAGA looks at removing all intelligent competent people as "draining the swamp" and are thrilled to have a lobotomised government.
God bless America.
Lobatamised. Perfect wording Peter for the necessary work ahead. As for a HEAD, lobatomy on the orange head should help his golf game.
Just for fun I did a quick AI on "Only Governors should be President" These are results for some people say only governors should be president. give me the pros and cons site sources bio background for those thinkers Show original results AI Overview The debate over whether a state governor makes the ideal U.S. president is a long-standing topic in American political science and history. While some commentators, historians, and voters argue that a governorship is the ultimate "training school for successful presidents", others note that the presidency requires skills—particularly in foreign policy and federal legislation—that governors rarely possess. WHYY Pros and Cons of a Governor Presidency Pros Cons Executive & Management Experience: Governors manage massive budgets, large executive branch staff, and state-level emergencies. Lack of Foreign Policy Experience: Governors rarely handle international relations, trade deals, or global military command. "Washington Outsider" Appeal: They can run on independent records, free from the legislative gridlock and unpopularity of Washington, D.C.. Steep Federal Bureaucracy Learning Curve: The federal government is far more massive and complex than any state bureaucracy. Veto & Executive Action Practice: They understand the unique pressures of being a sole decision-maker, rather than just one vote in a large body. Weak Legislative Deal-Making: Governors are used to driving agendas; they can struggle with a co-equal, hyper-polarized Congress. Fewer Paper Trails: Unlike senators, governors do not have records of hundreds of controversial legislative votes to defend. Out of the National Spotlight: National media networks are focused on Washington, causing governors to easily fade from national relevance. Key Thinkers and Historians Several prominent figures have comprehensively analyzed why state executive experience prepares—or fails to prepare—someone for the White House. 1. Wilfred E. Binkley (Pro-Governor) The Argument: Binkley argued that the American governorship serves as an indispensable "training school for successful presidents." He observed that during periods of massive national growth (such as the Progressive Era), governors like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson successfully translated state-level "laboratories of democracy" into national legislative triumphs. WHYY Biographical Background: Wilfred E. Binkley (1883–1965) was an eminent American political scientist and historian who taught at Ohio Northern University. He wrote foundational texts on the evolution of the American presidency and political parties, focusing heavily on how institutions shape political leadership. Sources: His historical analysis is cited in deep dives on presidential history, such as the WHYY Presidential Retrospective. 2. Jack Godwin & Peter G. Bourne (Pro-Governor) The Argument: Godwin argues that while members of Congress only understand how to legislate, a governor actually understands administration—managing people, massive organizations, and vast sums of money. Bourne expands on this by noting that governors bring staff to the White House who are already trained to support a sole executive, whereas legislators bring Capitol Hill staffers who only know how to negotiate committee votes. Governing Biographical Background: Jack Godwin is a political scientist, global education administrator, and author of Clintonomics, which heavily analyzed how Bill Clinton’s 12 years as Arkansas governor shaped his federal policy executive style. Peter G. Bourne is an Oxford University research fellow, author, and former specialized assistant to President Jimmy Carter (himself a former Georgia governor). Governing Sources: Their direct assessments on executive staff and resource management can be found via the comprehensive analysis on Governing Magazine. 3. Larry J. Sabato (Skeptical / Neutral Context) The Argument: Sabato highlights the structural modern hurdles governors face when seeking or holding the presidency. He notes that governors are tightly bound to their home states; if they travel to campaign or handle national issues, they are severely criticized if a state emergency happens in their absence. Furthermore, they face massive federal fundraising hurdles because state laws rarely allow them to transfer state campaign funds to a federal race. The American Prospect Biographical Background: Larry J. Sabato is a highly recognized American political scientist, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, and the founder of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a leading non-partisan election forecaster. Sources: His commentary on modern campaign limitations for state executives is detailed on the Center for Politics / American Prospect analysis. Governing Governors in the White House: How
I did not see any strong arguments against governors as presidents. I suppose it also depends on who the opposition is. You need to ask the same question about senators, since I think that is the main competition.
Anyone miss Sleepy Joe? Joe's cabinet would have been overstuffed with experts.
The administration knows exactly what's going on, but they don't care. The GOP zeitgeist has had a list of things they've wanted since the Nixon administration: * Forced belief in Jesus Christ (although this more Reagan than not) * Fund the government via tarffis instead of income taxes * Suspend the Constitution "for a little while" and use a dictatorship to "clean up federal law." Obviously that isn't possible, so they weakened the separation of powers to the point where the presidency has enough executive power to rule by decree. * Remind people of their place and keep them there. This ties in to religious fundamentalism. * Create a Federalist Society inspired ruling class and demote the rest of the American people to resident status. This is why the GOP wants to repeal the 14th Amendment. * Eliminate civil rights for all but the "best" people. This ties into religious fundamentalism and is a counter revolution to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Unfortunately, this isn't working out quite the way that it was promised. Not that the wealthy care. They don't need to. Donald Trump is a conservative media product, and he is implementing every conservative think tank's wish list. Look at what conservative talk radio was promoting in the 1990s for the early arguments for what we are seeing today.
Hi
Question: What if Canada got really ugly with the United States and launched a "water war" by closing the Wellman Canal ("Canal of Hormuz") and by reducing southern outflow from the Columbia River?
You mean the Welland canal on the Niagra river? If Canada wanted to hold back water on the Columbia they'd have to find someplace to put it!
The administration does not have a coherent trajectory in of itself for the most part The Heritage foundation has laid out an outline, and Trump is wanting to build personal legacy projects like his stupid arch to disgrace WW2 vets and the ballroom and I’m sure he is going to tear down the Kennedy center if he can’t put his name on it. As a farmer, I pay more attention to agriculture than anything, and it is clear that the current Agricultural secretary was well over her head taking the position. Not only is she not even qualified to run a county farm service agency office but I’m pretty sure you could take any manager from an FSA office and they would be able to run the entire USDA far more effectively. Trump picks stupid and weak people to be his secretaries, none have the spine to tell him no or to correct him and therefore we end up in situations where we’re importing tainted meat from Argentina, and we’re sending war equipment in peace meal into the Middle East instead of one large concentrated force like desert storm or Iraqi freedom.
In the business world, the CEO puts his cronies on the managing board and staffs his C-suite positions with yes men. We're just getting a peak behind the business world's curtain and seeing how things really work.
I voted for Trump as the lesser of two evils.....but....I think you are right!
Yeah, a Harris administration was a frightening thought. But Trump's administration is definitely a national nightmare.
Do you think the Dems should run on fixing gov't rather than any social plan since that is really what will happen for the first term? Run on the idea of repair and the return or competence? Offer even to put a none MAGA Republican or two in the Cabinet?
I have been saying this to people... The strength of our government is the peaceful transfer of power--which rejects the kinds of radical swings Trump is making. This is dictator behavior and if the next administration swings too heavily we start to become the Banana Republic Trump so beautifully projects. Maga is in the henhouse and it will take 20 years to scrub the grift and greed from the government if ever. All the corruption he claimed pales in comparison to what is happening. See: Cheater-in-Chief https://medium.com/@assertdesign/cheater-in-chief-3e349a27af58
There you go again. You ruined a perfectly good talk by accusing Gabbard of being a traitor. It's really annoying and is countered by her decades in the military and multiple tours in the ME. Get specific and mere disagreement with policy views won't do.
If it's one thing Oliver North taught me, it's that if wealthy and power change who you are. He also taught me that the powerful aren't subject to the law in the way that we commoners are, and nothing since Iran Contra has changed that opinion. Gabbard is just the latest person to sell out in exchange for wealth, celebrity, and power.
What is a good country to immigrate to if the Trump machine is successful in winning the midterms? Scotland? Portugal?
Despite my Scotch-Irish ancestry, I think I'd avoid Scotland. The Scottish economy is on a par with the Scottish weather. Not great, IOW. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7lm2z7lk1o
What is said has merit. There is more to the story. The people removed had a bias of the nature of Obama /Biden - or lower American standards and influence and not push back on communism and socialism
A self enrichment administration…not unaware as self enrichment with a rather large dose of cruelty is the flavor of the day, everyday
Most of you here voted for the lobotomy.
Honest question: How do you know that?
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy .
Nice summary of Trump and his foibles. A singularly unsuitable man for the job.
Interesting word taught during high school history in NL: Standplaatsgebondenheid. It literally breaks down roughly as: * standplaats = position / standpoint / place from which you observe * gebondenheid = being bound or constrained by something
yep, whomever is interested in 2028 had better get busy...
Have you or any of your geopolitical buddies been invited in to share your ideas? Or have they ever reacted to one of your posts?
I agree with your general premise, certainly on the unprofessionalism and incompetence. But there is a thought out policy agenda created and executed with the help of the Heritage Foundation. And reflects real policy expertise, albeit warped in my view. And the execution has unfortunately been impressive despite the incompetence.
Honest question: Did the H.F.'s Project 2026 agenda address international trade & diplomacy? My impression is that it was primarily concerned with domestic/cultural issues but maybe that's because that's what makes the news reports. I know P 2026 is available online but I haven't taken the time to read it.
Bahahaha love the Trump impression at 6:55! More!
When you want to be the smartest person in every room, and your mind is flailing and failing…
... and your diaper is full.
How do you avoid ticks in all of your walks?