Remember when then-newly minted White House Chief John Kelly was imagined to be a “beacon of discipline” who’d suddenly make Trump presidential, and bring order to Trump’s right-wing, self-cannibalizing, and wildly incompetent administration? That was two weeks ago.
Here’s a list of things that have happened since Kelly shifted from overseeing brutal and exploitative ICE raids as Homeland Security secretary, to trying to keep Donald from too loudly verbalizing his racist dog-whistle urges.
Over the past two weeks, Trump has…
Refused to disavow and denounce white supremacists
Los Angeles Times: Three dead, dozens hurt after Virginia white nationalist rally is dispersed; Trump blames ‘many sides’
Washington Post: One group loved Trump’s remarks about Charlottesville: White supremacists
TPM: David Duke: Charlottesville Rally ‘Fulfills The Promises Of Donald Trump’
And declined to address a Minnesota mosque bombing,
HuffPost: Trump’s Silence On Minnesota Mosque Attack Speaks Volumes
After allowing a top White House Adviser to defend white supremacists —
ThinkProgress: White House adviser says people should stop criticizing white supremacists so much
And instead attacked anyone (and everyone) else for everything that’s going wrong in his presidency,
TIME: President Trump Calls Democrats and the Media His ‘Enemies’ in New Campaign Ad
CNBC: Trump attacks Merck CEO for stepping down from manufacturing council in protest
New York Times: Trump Blames Congress for Poor U.S. Relations With Russia
AP: Trump hits McConnell for Senate crash of Obama health repeal
Washington Post: Trump’s baffling attacks on McConnell could be costly to the president
…Except for Putin, whom Trump thanked for expelling U.S. diplomats from Russia;
New York Times: Trump Praises Putin Instead of Critiquing Cuts to U.S. Embassy Staff
Threatened to launch a nuke against North Korea
The Hill: White House: Trump spoke to advisers before ‘fire and fury’ comment
Reuters: Trump threatens Venezuela with unspecified ‘military option’
Pivoted hard to the right on restricting legal immigration —
New York Times: Trump Supports Plan to Cut Legal Immigration by Half
CNN Money: Trump immigration plan to cost 4.6 million jobs, Ivy League study finds
All while continuing to take steps to profit off of the presidency, and batting down rumors that his VP is planning a 2020 presidential run, and praying that Special Counsel Robert Mueller isn’t as near as he seems to subpoenaing the entire West Wing.
HuffPost: Trump D.C. Hotel Made Massive Profits Amid Ethics Concerns
Reuters: The Trump Organization Has Been Granted Trademarks in Macau, China’s Casino Hub
New York Times: Mueller Is Said to Seek Interviews With West Wing in Russia Case