Tweet, 12 cans of Diet Coke and 8 hours in front of the TV: a day in Trump's fort
The daily battle of a president obsessed with his name in the news headlines
Four to eight hours of television a day. Twelve cans of light Coke, an unknown number of tweets. Donald Trump's typical day is a constant subject of study for the American media. The latest update is provided by the New York Times which conducted an investigation listening to 60 advisers, collaborators, friends of the president, plus several Republican and Democratic parliamentarians.
The result is a portrait of a man engaged, the newspaper writes, in "a battle for survival, hour after hour". The White House could easily be described as the fort of a beleaguered and largely unpopular leader: its approval rate, according to the Pew Reserch Center, is only 32 percent.
But who are the "besiegers" and who are the allies? The conclusion that emerges from the article is clear: "the battlefield" is that of cable TV. The hostile side is led by CNN, the one in favor of Fox News, owned by his friend Rupert Murdoch.
The buzz of the screens is the soundtrack of the White House. Trump wakes up around 5.30-6.00 and the first thing he does is operate the remote in the bedroom. It is not clear, the New York Times does not specify, if "The Donald" sleeps alone or if his habits are shared by his wife Melania. From the morning the pendulum begins to swing between the two poles: Cnn and Fox; Fox and Cnn. With some forays on MSNBC, for the program «Morning Joe».
From morning to evening it is a parade of "panels", often heated discussions for or against the administration. Trump follows as he dresses, eats breakfast, moves from one room to another in the White House. Until he grabs his iPhone and tweets him. It is like the sound of a bell that awakens the global village of communication. Or, notes the New York Times, "Twitter is like Excalibur." The sword extracted from the stone by King Arthur, the magical blade capable of cutting steel.
The official agenda, if there are no trips scheduled, starts only at 9-9.30. Reince Preibus, early chief of staff, had tried unsuccessfully to anticipate the times. His successor, former general John Kelly, considers it a lateral problem, considering that he has inherited a kind of "Hellzapoppin".
The door of the Oval Office is always open, with the advisers competing to attract the attention of the boss; operational meetings monopolized by Steve Bannon's rallies; phone calls without filter, in which the heads of state mingled with golfers, and so on. The military imposed discipline. Closed door and controlled access to the Oval Office, selection of calls and guests. And above all, outside Bannon.
But Kelly's cage is not enough to eliminate the intimately subversive attitude of a president who still today "struggles to be taken seriously". And that he seeks confirmation, even before in polls or in political circles, in the headlines of the “all news” broadcasters.
He is constantly looking for consent, approval. If he doesn't find it, he quickly turns elsewhere, as Republican parliamentarians, for example, are well aware. As long as he was right, Bob Corker was often invited to dinner at the White House, at a time when Kelly lets his guard down a little and the host indulges in jokes and jokes, as well as a giant portion of cream pie. But it may happen that «the Donald» asks for advice on the fly even from the waiters who serve him lunch or hand him a can of «Coke».
