After Donald Trump's election as president in 2016, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board raised the hope that the mercurial businessman would be kept from impulsive decision-making by institutional checks and balances _ starting with a strong Cabinet ready to stand up to him as need be.
To a certain extent, this has happened.
But the president's visit to San Diego on Tuesday to view prototypes of his proposed border wall and to rally troops at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar comes during an eventful span that may be remembered as a pivot point in his presidency. This month, Trump abruptly imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports over objections of most of his domestic policy staff, spurring the resignation of his top economics adviser, Gary Cohn. On Monday, Trump appeared to embrace economic nationalism even further, abruptly ordering Singapore-based Broadcom to end its attempted hostile takeover of San Diego-based Qualcomm, claiming the decision was driven by national security without providing any evidence. Then on Tuesday, after months of speculation, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, having finally tired of Tillerson's advocacy of mainstream Washington views on Russia (dangerous) and the Iran nuclear deal (worth trying to salvage). CIA Director Mike Pompeo, whose primary attribute in Trump's eyes seems to be their friendly relationship, was tapped as Tillerson's replacement. Now a bigger Cabinet shakeup is rumored.
Yes, Chinese steel dumping is a problem. Yes, if Broadcom has shadowy Chinese ties, that's a problem. Yes, it's good for the president to have rapport with his top diplomat. But Trump allies and critics alike see him as seeking affirmation from aides _ not frank advice. That's a potential bigger problem.
