Self-Defeating Behavior Can Still Beat Trump

Little of interest normally occurs in the weeks after a new president is elected. But since Donald Trump is the most maverick of president-elects, it’s worth looking at how he has fared in his first three weeks.

What he’s done right:

• In sharp contrast to his bombastic personality on the campaign trail, Trump’s post-election demeanor was eminently presidential — for the first two weeks. He was a gracious winner, complimenting Hillary Clinton. Rather than gloating, he accepted victory with uncharacteristic restraint, perhaps sobered by the realization that the most important job in the world was now his.

• Trump got to work immediately. Within days, he announced a solid lineup for cabinet and senior staff, despite the whines about attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions (no, accusations of insensitive remarks from three decades ago are not disqualifying) and strategist Steve Bannon (and no, managing a website that ran provocative headlines does not make one a "racist").

• Eschewing his reputation for vindictiveness, Trump showed political acumen by courting non-supporters, such as South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and even Mitt Romney, perhaps Trump’s most vocal critic, who is being considered for secretary of state.
   
• Most brilliant was bringing the two warring factions of the GOP into his inner fold. Trump gave Bannon, representing the conservatives, equal standing with chief of staff Reince Priebus — the establishment RNC Chairman. Understanding that igniting a intra-party civil war from the get-go (by choosing only one side) would be paralyzing, Trump did the smartest thing — he unified.

Where He Needs Improvement:

The biggest problem Trump faced during the campaign was his lack of self-control, and it’s an issue still haunting him. Just when it looks like he’s on a roll, he undermines himself by engaging in rants (usually via Twitter) leaving people shaking their heads. Donald Trump needs to recognize that it’s no longer acceptable to appear as if he’s on reality TV, that committing unforced errors will get the administration off on the wrong foot.

Consider:

1) Trump stuck his nose where it didn’t belong by stating that he would not pursue further investigations against Hillary Clinton. Why? Because the Clintons were “good people” and he wanted her to "heal." Politically, he infuriated his base by abandoning his promise to seek a special prosecutor and "lock her up."

From a legal perspective, investigating someone, especially a political opponent, is not the president’s call; that’s why God made the Justice Department and Congress. Trump muddied the waters, because the incoming attorney general, while officially independent, nevertheless now knows his boss’s mindset.

Yet it seems lost on Trump that this mini-firestorm was completely avoidable had he just kept quiet.

2) If you’re going to open a can of worms, you’d better have a press conference and speak directly to the American people, but Trump hasn’t had a single one. Trump may well be right not to pursue Clinton, but being right isn’t enough. He must articulate why, but not through press releases and surrogates. Like Reagan, Trump, must learn how to be a great communicator.

3) He has yet to throw his Twitter account in the trash, and the self-inflicted controversies continue, such as tweeting about revoked citizenship for flag burning, and three million illegals voting (but no documentation). Enough is enough, Mr. President-elect.

4)Trump should understand the value of good imaging. But in the last week, he seems to have forgotten everything. He intervened in the affairs of Great Britain by openly suggesting whom the UK should appoint as ambassador; and he lowered himself by taking shots at the cast of "Hamilton."

He again criticized NBC's "Saturday Night Live" when he should have appeared on the show alongside Alec Baldwin. Doing so, while poking fun at himself, would have won him huge points with millions who didn’t support him. America’s hyper-sensitivity has resulted in our inability to laugh at ourselves. Donald Trump, by going on "Saturday Night Live," could do more to reverse that politically correct mindset than anything else.

There’s still time, so here’s hoping.

5) Trump has allowed an internal feud regarding Mitt Romney’s potential nomination to become public, giving the appearance of chaos caused by Trump’s inability to set down the law. You can have all the "knockdown-drag-em-outs" you want, but they can never become public, for once they do, that leader is perceived as weak. Trump needs to assert himself quickly, and decisively, if he is to stop the bleeding.

Anyone expecting a honeymoon has misinterpreted the election results. Trump won by the slimmest of margins, lost the popular vote, and has to contend with opposition Democrats, a media with whom he has a hostile relationship, and some congressional Republicans eager to knock him down a few pegs.

Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. But for the president-elect to be successful, he has to make sure he doesn’t beat himself.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, Freindly Fire Zone Media. Read more reports from Chris Freind — Click Here Now.