The Presidential Apprentice

Donald Trump knows so little about what it means to be president that Barack Obama is taking a substantial amount of time to show him the ropes. Trump is said to have been surprised to learn that the president must hire the White House staff, for example. Details like that will be important for him to know if he wants to be ready to respond when events take place in the world, which of course, happens every day. Obama is a strong believer in continuity, so the effort to tutor Trump on White House operations fits with his priorities in office. We can hope that a little of his sensibilities rub off on Trump during their hours working together.

This does not mean there is much chance of Trump mellowing as he takes office. The names floated for key positions range from white supremacists to senile yes-men. Trump supporters would expect a Trump administration to be a high-stakes gamble of the sort that the country has never seen before, and so far, that is indeed what it is shaping up to be.