If you’re under the impression that Donald Trump doesn’t do any work now that he’s president, you’re absolutely right according to a new report from The New York Times.
The Times notes that on a daily basis, Trump spends 4-8 hours a day watching cable news:
“Around 5:30 each morning, President Trump wakes and tunes into the television in the White House’s master bedroom. He flips to CNN for news, moves to ‘Fox & Friends’ for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day.”
Keep in mind this is the same man who says he never watches CNN because it’s “fake news.” And yet he chooses to get his news from CNN. That’s probably a wise move on his part because Fox is nothing more than GOP talking points and right-wing propaganda.
It’s also instructive to note that when he was running for the presidency, Trump told advisers that each day in the White House would be a kind of reality show:
“Before taking office, Mr. Trump told top aides to think of each presidential day as an episode in a television show in which he vanquishes rivals.”
He’s not trying actually to get anything done; he’s just trying to settle scores and pick fights with those he doesn’t like. This is why he has zero legislative accomplishments in his first year.
Sitting in the Oval Office, Trump watches TV and reacts via Twitter:
“People close to him estimate that Mr. Trump spends at least four hours a day, and sometimes as much as twice that, in front of a television, sometimes with the volume muted, marinating in the no-holds-barred wars of cable news and eager to fire back.”
And whatever you do, don’t even dare to reach for the remote control. Only Donnie is allowed access:
“No one touches the remote control except Mr. Trump and the technical support staff — at least that’s the rule. During meetings, the 60-inch screen mounted in the dining room may be muted, but Mr. Trump keeps an eye on scrolling headlines. What he misses he checks out later on what he calls his ‘Super TiVo,’ a state-of-the-art system that records cable news.”
Eight hours of cable news a day never reads a newspaper, and aides have to make presentations to him with graphics and charts. Did we elect a president or a child with Attention Deficit Disorder?
Featured Image Via Gage Skidmore for Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0
