I’ll admit, I was torn about whether to write this up or not. On the one hand, you get a story that reflects that accurate headline, and that’s just terrifying. To think we have as President a man who can’t be bothered with policy long enough to finish a meeting before strolling out to catch a little more Fox and Friends before their seeming 26-hour daily slot is over… Well, that’s just straight-up dystopian. That’s “Idiocracy” come to life in the current administration.
On the other hand, he was ditching some boring crap Paul Ryan was saying, and honestly, it’s hard to blame him.
The account comes from Cliff Sims, author of Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House. Sims was Trump’s communications aide, and his forthcoming book is a tale of his time at Trump’s side from the campaign through May of last year.
An advance copy of the book provided to the Washington Post gave us some insight as to what to expect inside, and aside from the details of how Trump would browbeat those he considered his inferiors and what Sims thought of various other aides and insiders on Team Trump, this is maybe the most telling part about Trump’s true character as a policymaker.
From the Post‘s account:
At times, Trump evinced less rage than a lack of interest. Sims recounts one time when Ryan was in the Oval Office explaining the ins and outs of the Republican health-care bill to the president. As Ryan droned on for 15 minutes, Trump sipped on a glass of Diet Coke, peered out at the Rose Garden, stared aimlessly at the walls and, finally, walked out.
Ryan kept talking as the president wandered down the hall to his private dining room, where he flicked on his giant flat-screen TV. Apparently, he had had enough of Ryan’s talk. It fell to Vice President Pence to retrieve Trump and convince him to return to the Oval Office so they could continue their strategy session.”
Now, as anyone who ever had to sit through an entire presser from the former House Speaker can tell you — and yes, news writers have to listen to the whole thing too — this is an entirely understandable reaction if you’re just an average Joe. And to be honest, I hate to think what an argument with Paul Ryan is like for his daughter Liza (“If I give you your allowance immediately after you finish your chores, you’ll only be incentivized to do quick, shoddy work”).
But seriously? The President? Just keep it together and you can have all the Big Macs you want this afternoon, sir.
Featured image via screen capture
