When life gets you down, it’s important to focus on the positives.
Of course with all the critics he has, US president Donald Trump might find it harder than most to see the positives.
Go deeper with GlobalData
In fact, a lot of sources say he doesn’t even particularly enjoy being president. Politico reported that nearly two dozens people have attested that the president doesn’t seem happy in his new role:
His mood has careened between surprise and anger as he’s faced the predictable realities of governing…
Poor dear.
Still, according to Vice, Trump’s aids have come up with a solution to keep the commander-in-chief’s spirits up.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataApparently, twice a day, staff present Trump with with a 20-25 page document of nothing but positive news about his actions.
According to the three White House officials, both former and current, who spoke to Vice, the documents contain everything from transcripts of fawning television interviews to admiring tweets.
On days when there aren’t enough good news stories, communications staff just ask for flattering pictures of the president.
One officer says the only feedback the staff were given on the ‘propaganda document’, as it’s come to be known, was “it needs to be more fucking positive”.
Of course, Trump isn’t the first president to monitor how the public are perceiving him.
A “war room” is a longstanding tradition at the White House where staff monitor public sentiment.
However, under Trump, the size of this group has increased from four to 10.
Vice did manage to get in contact with Trump’s former communications secretary, Sean Spicer for his thoughts on the story.
Despite labelling the claims as “inaccurate” Spicer refused to comment which part of the story wasn’t based in reality.
Another source was president Barack Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who shared his amusement at the story:
If we had prepared such a digest for Obama, he would have roared with laughter. His was a reality-based presidency.
One of the officials who leaking the story thinks it’s good for the USA if Trump gets his daily dose of flattery:
Maybe it’s good for the country that the president is in a good mood in the morning.
There’ll certainly be a contingent of voters who’ll be wondering about the implications of this story.
Is it possible that president Trump genuinely doesn’t realise the full extent of his unpopularity?
Making his own news
President Trump is infamous for his disregard for less-than-positive news stories about himself.
On his Twitter account he frequently criticises what he describes as the “fake news”, describing his unpopular actions and positions.
Instead, the president uses his Twitter account to make his own news. Just an hour prior to writing this story, Trump was waxing lyrical about his nuclear arsenal which he supposedly renovated upon becoming president:
My first order as President was to renovate and modernize our nuclear arsenal. It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017
The trouble is that American voters are actually getting sick of Trump’s tweets.
According to a poll conducted by Fox News who surveyed 1,017 randomly chosen American voters via phone interviews, 71 percent believe that Trump’s tweets harm his agenda. Only 17 percent believe the tweets are helpful to the president.
Even among Republican voters 59 percent would like to see him be more cautious in his use of Twitter and 18 percent categorically disapprove of the president’s social media posts.
A slim majority (53 percent) of Republicans agree that their president’s tweets are harmful to his agenda, while 87 percent of Democrat voters agree with them.
Either way, it’s clear Trump needs a reality check before his Twitter account sparks a fuse that ends in disaster.
