The Trump Builders Are Going to Drain the Washington Swamp -- On Time and Under Budget

Were we right about the Trump-Taiwan phone call, dear readers? Seems so. It took just one day for the next shoe -- i.e., tweet -- to fall from President-Elect Donald Trump to China. Trump slammed China on Sunday, criticizing the country on Twitter for taxing US products and for its aggression in the South China Sea. The Trump Tweet : “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into…their country (the U.S. doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!” • • • TRUMP IS BREAKING THE PRESIDENTIAL MOLD. China hasn't yet figured out that it is dealing with a unique American President. On Saturday, it fell back on old school tactics and raised a complaint over the Taiwan call in a foreign ministry statement : "We have noticed relevant reports and lodged solemn representation with the relevant side in the United States." • Trent Duffy, Deputy Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, said in a Contributor post on TheHill site this weekend that "Trump could be the most significant President of our time....the Bully Pulpit [of the US President] has been somewhat weakened in recent years, but it is still the loudest media platform for any politician, especially one who knows TV and drama as well as our next President....the media simply has to take him live because people want to watch him succeed (or fail) in real time. That gives him a much greater ability to make news at the time and place of his choosing, one of the most valuable weapons in the White House communications arsenal." Add to that the Trump Twitter platform that bypasses the media to go directly to the world and, importantly, to his millions of avid followers who are ready to go anywhere to support his programs and positions. As Duffy says : "The media still can’t get over it but the next President has an uncanny ability to explain issues in ways average Americans can understand. He isn’t Politically Correct. He can be blunt. He is witty and uses humor to great advantage. This gives him the ability not only to explain complicated issues in basic terms but also to persuade people who haven’t thought about them before." • And, if Trump is too non-PC, he not only doesn't care -- he relishes breaking the mold that has trapped America in near-paralysis politically for 25 years. Besides China, there are plenty of examples to suport the Trump Effect. • • • WHEN YOU NEED HELP, ASK EXPERTS. Despite the favorite game of the Progressives and Democrats -- bashing business and banks -- Trump has assembled a group of business leaders to advise him and "bring back jobs and Make America Great Again." As he told a cheering rally last week in Columbus, to get America back in business with jobs and competitive skills, it makes sense to ask for the help of "billionaire" business people and bankers -- "they know how to do it." The Trump White House transition team later released a statement announcing the President's Strategic and Policy Forum, led by Blackstone co-founder Stephen Schwarzman. The Forum members include JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, former CEOs Jack Welch of General Electric, Jim McNerney of Boeing, and former Securities and Exchange Commission head Paul Atkins. Trump's take on his Forum? : "This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth. My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America." • • • SOME SURPRISED PEOPLE ARE GETTING PHONE CALLS. Surely the most surprised was the Reverend Al Sharpton, who said last Thursday that President-Elect Trump "surprised" him with a phone call -- out of the blue. "We did talk briefly," Sharpton told The New York Post. "I was surprised and candid about our sharp disagreements, and so was he." Sharpton also noted that Trump "met with Mayor de Blasio, who is critical, like I am, of him." • • • TRUMP LETS THE SUNSHINE INTO HIS DECISION-MAKING. Instead of huddling behind closed doors while he and his transition team choose his Cabinet and advisors, Trump talks to his supporters at televised rallies, he appears on TV talk shows -- and he tweets. • Last Friday, we learned directly from Trump that he has narrowed his choice for a Supreme Court nominee "down to probably three or four candidates." Trump said one of his first decisions after his inauguration will be to nominate a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. The Supreme Court has been functioning with eight justices since then, because the Republican-led Senate refused to hold hearings on President Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, a liberal when it comes to constitutional construction, during the presidential campaign. During his campaign, Trump released a list of 21 potential nominees to fill the vacancy, and Thursday he told Fox News' Sean Hannity : "We're going to have to appoint very soon. We're going to have to come up with a name." He said his candidates are "terrific people. Highly respected, brilliant people and we'll be announcing that pretty soon," promising a final choice who will be a constitutional "originalist." • Trump sent his economic advisor out on Friday with a message for multinational businesses. Peter Navarro slammed reports of the US unemployment rate falling to 4.6% -- the lowest in nine years, only because, said Navarro, labor participation dropped for the second month in a row. Navarro said the low labor participation rate will be a rallying cry for Trump's "America First" agenda : "The November jobs report showing a decline in the labor force participation rate further demonstrates an urgent need for President-Elect Trump's America First economic plan. We have not seen levels this low since 1978....4,000 manufacturing jobs that disappeared last month come on top of the over 300,000 that have been lost under President [Barack] Obama." Navarro cited Trump's Carrier air-conditioner manufacturing plant deal -- keeping more than 1,000 jobs in Indiana -- as an example of the President-Elect's "agenda of prosperity for all." Navarro mentioned that Trump's planned nominations of former Goldman Sachs partner Steve Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for the Commerce Secretary "signal a seismic and transformative shift in trade policy -- one that works for American workers and domestic manufacturers, not for the multinational corporations shipping jobs offshore." • We've already talked about Trump’s appointment of retired General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to head the Department of Defense. But, let's consider how that choice has struck a chord in Washington, even among Trump skeptics. High praise is pouring in for General Mattis. Senator John McCain said : “He is without a doubt one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops. General Mattis has a clear understanding of the many challenges facing the Department of Defense, the U.S. military and our national security. America will be fortunate to have Gen. Mattis in its service once again.” Current Defense Secretary Ash Carter said : "I have known General Jim Mattis for many years and hold him in the highest regard," adding that he would work to facilitate a "seamless transition." And how did President-Elect Trump announce the Mattis pick? He told a "thank you” rally crowd : “They say he’s the closest thing to General George Patton that we have, and it’s about time.” • • • WHO WILL BE SECRETARY OF STATE? That's still the biggest unanswered question. Incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus says he expects the transition team to announce Trump's pick for secretary of State in the next two weeks. During a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on Sunday, Priebus was asked when the announcement would come. Priebus answered : "You know, I’m not sure. Soon. Perhaps next week." Those rumored to be in the running for the coveted State Department job include Mitt Romney, Senator Bob Corker, former General David Petraeus and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. • General Petraeus' name keeps surfacing in transition team commentary. Vice President-Elect Mike Pence said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press that former CIA Director David Petraeus has paid the price for his mishandling of classified information, and Donald Trump will consider that while he makes his choice for Secretary of State. Pence, head of the transition team, said : "He paid a price for mishandling classified information. I think the President-Elect will weigh that against the background of an extraordinary career of military service." ¨Pence called Petraeus an "American hero." Trump has faced heavy criticism for considering Petraeus for the job after attacking Hillary Clinton for using a private unsecure email server while Secretary of State that led to the mishandling of classified information. The big difference between Petraeus and Clinton is that Petraeus last year pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified material, while Hillary Clinton has neither admitted nor been penalized for her actions. General Petraeus is certainly well qualified to serve at State -- and Donald Trump values, and thus far has found, expertise in each of his appointments. • But, if I were choosing the next Secretary of State, it would be Jon Huntsman, Jr. -- former Republican Governor of Utah, former Ambassador to China, fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker -- a diplomat par excellence. If Trump is considering someone whose name is still a secret, it has to be Jon Huntsman. • • • DEAR READERS, it is now clear that Donald Trump is bringing to the Office of the President the same rigorous management style he used to climb the ladder in the cut-throat mega-budget construction business. He rose to the top of that business because he knew how to handle complex political environments while bringing in his projects on time and under budget. That remains the Trump signature. And it is no small thing. Most construction -- from a one-family bungalow to a skyscraper -- are late and over budget. Donald Trump never fell into that hole, and he is now determined to bring that discipline and expertise to the federal government. The first thing Trump did right was to name Mike Pence as his VP. Pence is a political insider who has remained a profoundly honest and conservative public servant. Like the selection of Pence, Trump has chosen his transition team, his cabinet, and his other appointments because they excel at the task they are to perform. They, like Trump, are determined to reform those things that Progressives have imposed on America in the past eight years. Repeal Obamacare. Stop illegal immigration. Stop radical Islam. Recreate a growing economy that produces jobs. Restore dignity and strength to the military, and integrity to the government. Reset education policies so kids can learn and become productive citizens. Repatriate businesses that fled Obama's tax oppression. Become energy-independent. Guarantee a conservative Supreme Court for a generation. Re-do catastrophic trade deals. • It will be dizzying to warch this perfect storm hit Washington. Trump's builders are getting ready to rebuild America. On time and under budget.