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Then there is Jared Kushner, the president’s unprepared and underwhelming son-in-law. Whether one believes him or not on the subject of cooperation with Russian officials, his written and verbal defense of his series of badly conceived meetings with Russian officials and failure to report them as required by his security clearance application reveal a callow young man, too arrogant to seek advice and too unsophisticated outside New York real estate circles to be entrusted with such daunting responsibilities. The notion that the president has entrusted him with Middle East peace, relations with Mexico, government innovation, China talks and criminal-justice reform was always silly; now it seems downright ludicrous that anyone (other than a relative) would find him seasoned enough for one, let alone all, of these jobs. Trump’s reliance on his family, again as many anticipated, has led to not only massive conflicts of interest but also a level of incompetence rarely seen at the highest level of government.

Moving along to Trump’s press operation, the president has gone from a language-challenged press secretary with no White House experience to a slick New York operator with no White House experience. The well-intentioned suggestion that Trump might find someone respected by the media and sophisticated in the ways of government now seems like a pipe dream. Trump wants yes-men and slick spinners like himself; expertise and credibility are not requirements but rather handicaps.

The hope that a business figure who reinvented presidential campaigning might have access to a talent pool filled with figures who could bring new expertise and insights to government was always fanciful. Trump defines success in terms of money and demands absolute loyalty. He lacks any interest in policy and therefore sees no need for policy experts. His narcissism prevents him from getting those more knowledgeable and sophisticated than he to serve. Those with high ethical standards were hard to lure into government.

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