Trump, Previewing a More Disciplined Second Act, Is Refusing To Get Drawn Into Fights
Trump has spent four years itching to apply what he says he learned about governing in his first term.
President Trump is wrangling a new budget bill out of the House, contrasting with his silence as his nominees for Cabinet positions face resistance. The shift telegraphs a discipline that supporters have long urged.
Trumpâs first nominee for attorney general, Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew under withering criticism. In his previous term, the president-elect could be counted upon to launch into a self-defeating war of words in a doomed cause, taking broadsides against his pick as a personal affront.
Instead, the president-elect let Mr. Gaetz sink. The president-electâs choice for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, was the next target of MAGA foes. He seemed ready to follow Mr. Gaetz, but other than a post on Truth Social, the president-elect didnât speak out or work the phones to sway senators.
Senator Ernst, Republican of Iowa, told Fox News earlier this month that she had not âgotten to a yesâ on Mr. Hegseth. Having suffered a sexual assault, she was troubled by allegations against the nominee.
After Mr. Hegseth met with Ms. Ernst, she put out a statement saying he had pledged to âprioritize and strengthenâ her efforts âto prevent sexual assault within the ranks.â Of her previous concerns, she wrote, âI look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.â
Although multiple outlets reported that the president-elect ordered Newsmax not to be critical of Mr. Hegseth, two producers at the network told me that no such directive was ever given. Even private criticism would be a shift for Trump, as is the fact that he has been silent on the matter.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that eight Republican senators were âunsure about supportingâ Trumpâs choice for director of national intelligence, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. The president-elect again left her defense to others.
âThere is not one GOP Senator on the record that opposes Lt. Col. Gabbardâs nomination,â Trump spokeswoman, Alexa Henning, wrote in a statement. She blamed âanonymous sourcesâ and âfalsitiesâ in the press, the kind of response that Trump slung himself in years past.
Trumpâs nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is also searching for votes. The Washington Postâs health reporter, Dan Diamond, reported on Tuesday that just 20 senators are âyes or leaning yesâ and 18 are âno or leaning no,â with 62 âunclear.â
Trumpâs more statesmanlike stance is, in part, why Americans are giving him positive marks as president-elect. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS last week found 54 percent approve of how heâs handling his transition. In Novemberâs CBS News/YouGov poll, the number was 59 percent.
Having kept his powder dry, Trumpâs objections to the continuing resolution in the House carried more weight when he condemned it. His demand for changes sent Republicans back to the drawing board where they delivered legislation more in line with his priorities.
Thursday on Truth Social, Trump praised Speaker Johnson âand the Houseâ for âa very good deal for the American peopleâ in the American Relief Act. He said it would have kept âthe government open,â and provide relief for farmers, those impacted by âdevastating hurricanes,â and others.
Trump, who is staying above the MAGA push for primary challenges to Ms. Ernst and other senators hedging on his Cabinet nominees, chose to apply that pressure over the budget. His displeasure was aimed at the Republican of Texas, Charles âChipâ Roy, one of 38 in the GOP who helped defeat the bill.
âI hope,â Trump posted Thursday on Truth, âsome talented challengers are getting ready ⊠to go after Chip in the primary.â Trump had posted that Mr. Roy was âgetting in the wayâ of raising the âvery unnecessaryâ debt ceiling. The new bill would have suspended it until January 30, 2027.
On Wednesday, Trump even resisted the kind of opportunity for snark that squandered goodwill in the past. Rather than revel in the defeat of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for ranking member on a House committee. Her loss was âreally too bad,â he posted on Truth.
âShe should keep trying,â Trump said. âSomeday, she will be successful!â What might have sparked yet another pointless feud instead passed with mirth. âYou know itâs bad,â Ms. Ocasio-Cortez joked on Twitter, âwhen even Trump is feeling bad for me.â
Trump has spent four years itching to apply what he says he learned about governing in his first term. One of those lessons is that itâs wasteful to get drawn into every fight. His newfound discipline will serve the nation well, and itâs raising Americaâs hopes for a strong second act.