By Jeffrey A. Rendall
Few people realize Donald J. Trump could be the most well-informed person in America
Reaction continues to trickle in from President Donald J. Trump’s thought-provoking and inspiration-stirring State of the Union Address last week, and, as usual, the 45th and 47th president appeared to soak in every moment he occupied the most famous stage in all of politics.
Trump didn’t seem hurried as he checked off his prepared list of points to make in the presentation, clearly comfortable in his own skin and not the least bit bothered by half the humans in the chamber openly disdaining him. Opposition doesn’t frighten Donald Trump.
Neither did the late hour of the day. Here’s thinking Trump would probably agree to do an interview at practically any time if he felt there was a benefit to it. Trump is one of the premier political performers of all-time, matched by few and exceeded by none.
Trump loves media, and always has. Events drive him almost as much as he propels the news. How he gets there each day is a story in and of itself.
In a fascinating article titled, “The Ravenous Media Diet of Donald Trump”, Phillip Wegmann wrote at American Greatness last week (originally published in Real Clear Politics):
“More than half a dozen current and former White House officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the oversized presidential news diet, agree. The consensus: ‘He is a news junkie.’ The commander in chief begins his morning by channel surfing in the White House residence. ‘Fox and Friends’ remains the favorite, but before the day officially begins, Trump flips through CNBC, CNN, and the cable station formerly known as MSNBC, a habit that inspires frequent media criticism shared via Truth Social.
“A stack of newspapers awaits when Trump arrives in the private study outside the Oval Office. He reads the New York Times, New York Post, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal cover to cover. The president is known to peruse USA Today and the Financial Times. And it’s a close reading with Sharpie in hand…
“How can a president watch that much television, let alone do that much reading, while also attending to the business of the nation? Sources close to the president say the answer is simple: He doesn’t sleep, or at least, he sleeps very little, often just four hours.”
Four hours? In a practical sense, this means Trump lays his head on the pillow at about one and raises it for the new day at about five, then starts his morning with poring over news and facts and editorials and TV programs and… whatever else news-related that he feels compelled to consume.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet personally received a note from the president, but here’s hoping he’ll be struck by something I’ve written and feel motivated to comment. That’d be cool, for sure!
I recall years ago, when I worked with ConservativeHQ.com, that Editor George Rasley visited the White House and Trump singled out Rasley for a comment on the gist of our news coverage. So, anecdotally speaking, the president (in his first term, at least) was aware of us, indeed. I’ll take the revelation with some comfort.
First-hand accounts of Trump’s sleeping habits have been around since he began his quest for the presidency and the candidate frequently suggested that he was not “a big sleeper”. Little did we know, he wasn’t exaggerating, and Wegmann’s piece verified that Trump’s comments were authentic – and true. How a man like Trump discovers the energy to stay awake around the clock is beyond me, but I suppose if the news is about you – as it is with Trump — that would make it that much more interesting, wouldn’t it?
Reality often collides with public impressions and negative stereotypes, particularly the well-entrenched hater rumor that Trump rarely reads anything and relies on underlings and TV news alone to derive his knowledge of current events. If anything, it looks like the opposite is true. It’s hard to see where Trump would devote hours to consuming white papers or scholarly treatises, but if the report is condensed into bite-size segments, he’s all over it.
And Trump’s stamina is legendary. All signs point to the same conclusion.
I went to see “Melania” the movie recently, and one thing I gathered from viewing the documentary was how “fresh” he and the first lady seemed at all hours of the day. The end of the film included footage of Trump and Melania interacting with the White House staff at 2 a.m. the morning after inauguration day, a nearly 22-hour sequence that included an early arrival at the White House to officially greet outgoing President senile Joe Biden, the swearing-in ceremony itself, the send-off of the Bidens on the Marine helicopter, the congressional lunch for the president, the first couple’s appearance at the rally after beings sworn-in (in place of the ceremonial drive down Pennsylvania Avenue), and finally, their appearance at several of the presidential balls to dance the night away.
And greet and speak with LOTS of personnel and dignitaries. Dang, talk about a who’s who of official Washington. It was as though there were a series of wedding receptions consecutively.
In the movie, Trump talked about how it helped having been president for his first term, because he already knew most of the people in the town with all the marble buildings and monuments on the Potomac River.
My main takeaway from the ‘Melania’ documentary was astonishment – somewhat – that the first couple apparently enjoyed the attention from anyone and everyone in their immediate surroundings. And, of course, the glare of the cameras, too.
There was one particular scene where Melania listened as Trump practiced his inaugural speech and the first-lady-to-be suggested he include the word “unifier” in his delivery. With his fabulous memory, Trump remembered to include the correction in his actual address. That’s a special talent, but given Trump’s ability to consume – and provide — news, this wasn’t surprising.
Wegmann’s report additionally detailed how Trump satisfies his news obsession, which is garnered by traditional print media and viewing news channels via Tivo. In this manner, the president tasks himself with keeping up with the coverage of daily happenings. It’s no wonder how Trump often replies “Fake News” whenever a question is posed to him regarding a tidbit that was relayed by such-and-such about an aspect of his policies.
A couple weeks ago I touched on the recent controversy surrounding Trump and his link to a video that depicted the Obamas as apes – and suggested that the chief executive should allow someone he knows and trusts to serve as a “filter” for his social media observations. I still believe this would be the most prudent thing for him to do and would help avoid the more controversial – in a bad way – establishment media blasts as well. You know, the things that blow up into outsized proportions and distract from the overall mission to Make America Great Again.
Time will tell if Trump himself arrives at a similar realization that his social media habit is a net negative to his mission to save the country from the ravages of excessive government overreach and Democrat corruption.
Don’t forget the nation needs to be saved from national security lapses and open borders immigration philosophies as well as pro-Islam tolerance and foreign policy appeasement.
The weekend strikes on Iran merely reiterated the truth.
Sometimes it appears as though being the best-informed person in the room could be a hindrance to Trump’s pursuit of being regarded as the most successful president in history. Trump relies on his cabinet members and press relations pros to represent his views before the nation, but it doesn’t always work out when the folks who serve his administration speak out of turn – or say something that’s not true.
For instance, it was said Trump was unhappy that Republicans didn’t defend his posting of the Obama-as-apes video with more vigor, but it’s hard to come together as a team when the leader himself fails to keep the end goals at the forefront of his priorities. The video was an avoidable mistake. Don’t let it be repeated.
Here’s thinking Trump’s performance last Tuesday will provide the impetus for Republicans to start seizing the initiative and take the political fight to Democrats later this year. A State of the Union Address is only one moment in time, but the agenda – and the reasons behind it – are always presented in a fairly digestible way for party members to use in their campaigns. I was glad to see Trump rose to the occasion. Again.
Fueled by his vast knowledge and understanding of current events, it’s hard to envision any other outcome.
It’s time for Republicans to get moving and use their own proficiency with the media to spread the message.
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .