President Donald Trump’s attitude since he took over the White House has been regarded as shocking by many insiders. White House and agency officials are reportedly alarmed by the president’s conduct.
A White House aide, who asked to remain unnamed, told The Huffington Post that Trump was so angry about the hand towels on Air Force One, that he has registered a complaint for them to be changed.
“He’s registered a complaint about the hand towels aboard Air Force One,” the White House aide said,” because they are not soft enough”.
In addition, there is also the matter of Trump’s briefing materials. Reports have it that the Commander-in-Chief does not like to read long memos, and so prefers that they be no more than a single page, and must have bullet points but not more than nine per page.
He’s also been particularly obsessed with the performance of his aides on cable television. Past presidents typically didn’t make time to watch their press secretary’s daily briefings with reporters, but Trump appears to have made it part of his routine. “Saturday Night Live’s” weekly skewering of his administration is similarly on his must-watch list ― with his reaction ranging from unamused to seething.
According to reports, information about Trump’s personal interactions and the inner workings of his administration came from individuals in executive agencies and in the White House.
“I’ve been in this town for 26 years. I have never seen anything like this,” said Eliot Cohen, a senior State Department official under President George W. Bush and a member of his National Security Council. “I genuinely do not think this is a mentally healthy president.”
Richard Nephew, a State Department expert on Iran sanctions under Obama, said some of the leaks from the agencies are likely efforts to let the public know that their advice has not been followed, in the event something bad happens down the road.
“This, I think, is about making it clear that these folks have tried to do the right thing and there is only so much they can do with a hostile administration,” Nephew said.