Trump administration disappointing

One of the reasons many voters chose Donald Trump is that they thought he could transform government and uproot entrenched special interests. Trump even had a frequently used phrase — drain the swamp — to show voters this issue was important to him.

But Trump and too many of his key staff are woefully ill-prepared and ignorant about how the levers of government work. Because of that, they are going to struggle to have a lasting impact.

Trump supporters point to numerous executive orders he has signed, as well as several policy changes in a handful of agencies. The problem is that most. if not all, of these changes could be short-lived. The next president can reverse Trump’s executive orders — as he has done with many of former President Barack Obama’s. Some policy changes are being challenged in the courts; others could be changed when new people are in charge of various agencies.

Until Trump takes these matters more seriously or hires better, more knowledgeable people, all of his talk about draining the swamp will ring hollow and be nothing more than lipstick on a pig.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Trump administration disappointing."