The White House Doesn’t Come with Training Wheels

This week, as we approach the 100th day of his presidency, President Trump proved once again that he's out of his depth in the White House.  The unpredictable bluster and bravado that was a defining characteristic of Trump in the private sector becomes embarrassing and dangerous for the country when deployed by the President in the Oval Office.

Case in point: this week alone, Trump and his Administration:

• Promised and then walked back a promise to pull out of NAFTA, which would have threatened U.S. jobs.
• Promised and then failed (again) to pass Trumpcare, which would have driven up costs and kicked millions off of health care.
• Promised a tax reform plan, delivered a one-page Word doc that promised tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while doing almost nothing for the middle class.
• Delivered the weakest job growth in 3 years.
• Defended his hiring of General Flynn, who is being investigated for his ties to Russia.
• Announced during a Reuters interview the U.S. and North Korea might have a "major, major conflict."
• Declared the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), a five-year old free trade agreement between the US and South Korea that began under President George W. Bush, might be terminated.
• Declared the South Korean government should pay the U.S. for an anti-missile system currently being installed to protect against attacks from North Korea which Trump valued at $1 billion.
• "Joked" to UN Security Council Ambassadors, all men, that if they didn't like Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, he could replace her.
• Defended leaving hundreds and hundreds of senior-level agency positions vacant, crippling the government, because "we don't need so many people coming to work."

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that President Trump didn't understand being the leader of the free world would be a difficult, demanding job until this week: "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

The first 100 days of the Trump Administration have been marked by consistent missteps, falsehoods, and broken promise after broken promise – and without a single major legislative accomplishment.  Instead of working to help promote growth, stability and security in the U.S. and across the globe, the Trump Administration has lurched from crisis to crisis with no coherent agenda to improve the lives of everyday Americans.  This government by chaos is hurting workers and their families and dimming the beacon of hope and democracy the US represents in the world's eye.