As fellow Republicans labored to repeal Obamacare this week, U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly swerved off-topic, escalating concerns in his party about his ability to govern the country six months after taking office.
While senators grappled with healthcare, Trump banned transgender people from the military. He regaled a Boy Scout jamboree with a tale from a New York cocktail party. He indulged an obscene tirade by his flamboyant new communications director.
In the end, the Senate’s efforts collapsed in a predawn vote on Friday, magnifying the ineffectiveness that often goes with the chaos around Trump, the constant storm of tweets, the White House infighting, the self-inflicted wounds.
“We’re seeing clear evidence that all of these distractions are standing in the way of their ability to achieve legislative accomplishments,” said Republican strategist Alice Stewart, a top aide to Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign last year.
In the latest twist, Trump late on Friday named U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as his new White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus, who has been in a feud with Trump’s new communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
Among some establishment Republicans, there were signs that patience with Trump was wearing thin.
His national security team, seen as a bedrock of normality, increasingly is frustrated. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson were described by sources as unhappy with their handling by the White House.
Defense Secretary James Mattis was coming to grips with Trump’s abrupt decision on Wednesday, via a tweet, to ban transgender individuals from military service. The Pentagon said it would not execute the order without more guidance.
MORE: Struggling to govern, Trump faces growing Republican unease
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