At a Monday press conference, Donald Trump angrily defended Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. Though officials from Trump’s administration are defying Musk’s email instructing federal employees to list their accomplishments, Trump said it was “great,” only spreading more confusion about whether it’s operative. This comes as Trump is getting hit by more polls showing broad disapproval of his performance on prices and deep dissatisfaction with the economy. We talked to writer Susan Milligan, who has a new piece for The New Republic detailing how Republicans have been portraying Trump as a strong “daddy” figure. She explains why the DOGE fiasco and Trump’s rambling presser could undermine perceptions of Trump as a competent, decisive leader. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
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Trump’s Angry DOGE Defense Backfires at Presser as More Bad Polls Hit
As Trump’s defense of Elon Musk’s DOGE goes awry amid more grim polls, a shrewd observer of the Trump mystique explains why GOP efforts to paint him as a strong “daddy” figure are going off the rails.
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