The Contemporary Presidency: The Trump Transition, Early Presidency, and National Security Organization

President Trump's establishment of his national security system proved highly problematic compared to those of his recent predecessors. Problems arose in its initial organization, especially the designation of his chief political strategist as a participant at its highest levels, later rescinded. Further difficulties developed with the resignation of his National Security Council advisor, after only 24 days on the job. The news media quickly pounced. They portrayed a presidency in disarray and a national security process as dysfunctional. It was a major blow to this new administration, even though it was unwilling to acknowledge it publicly. In his first solo press conference on February 16, 2017, Trump stated, “This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.” Not quite. This article explores their early organizational difficulties in national security policy making.