13 Building a Team: Too Early To Grade This is a make-or-break accomplishment, essen- tial for building capacity. Can Trump lead this group to become a real team that will work with confidence despite the bitter environment and “divide and conquer” competition in Washing- ton? A big question is whether he can demon- strate the character needed to lead an organiza- tion far larger than a family enterprise. Accomplishments to Date: B+ The Trump team has gotten a lot done quick- ly (see Q1 Chronology). The President and his team are hard workers and committed to performance. For the most part, they keep their eye on the ball despite the enormous flow coming their way. Effort: A+ The President took his campaign promises seriously. The speed at which he and his team have moved forward to keep promises sets a new record for Washington. As is evident from the press coverage, Washington is not used to entrepreneurial speeds. Communication: B Communication is one of the great strengths of Trump and his team. They have built out a direct communications infrastructure at the White House – which is a good beginning. Combined with blunt talk and the speed at which the Trump team is doing things, this communication can be upsetting to many constituencies. Some of this is good in bringing about needed change. Some is simply the Pres- ident being “not-Presidential” in a manner that sometimes costs him precious political capital. Continuing to build out their direct communi- cations is essential. War Games (Mapping the Swamp): C The Trump team is naïve about Washington’s swamp dirty tricks. Note the Russian witch hunting and the behind-the-scenes switch-hits on health care. Significantly increasing the Trump team IQ and capacity to deal effectively on this score will make an important contribu- tion to their performance. Building Bottom-Up Support: C+ The President must upgrade the digital infra- structure used during his campaign to continue to build “outside-inside” communication and support, particularly for his legislative and bud- getary efforts. He needs communication mech- anisms that can engage his audience with more detailed and place-based policy information. Introducing Important Change: A There is no nice way to help the country turn on a dime. The President deserves credit for his attempts to introduce reality on domestic issues despite the opposition it has inspired. He needs to do the same on America’s role in the world. Building Bridges Internationally: C+ Numerous campaign statements, the inaugu- ral address and the President’s emphasis on putting America first have wreaked havoc and created great uncertainty in the global com- munity. Although the President has made a concerted effort to reach out and communicate with world leaders, the global audience needs a clear vision of America’s intended role in the world. Building Bridges Domestically: C Despite the war games, much can be accom- plished by reaching out across the aisle and into grassroots networks to the millions of leaders and citizens who will share the MAGA vision. Don’t let the divide-and-conquer tactics mislead you: the polls show that a resounding majority of Americans want to get down to the business of MAGA. Managing the Executive Branch Bureaucracy: Too Early to Grade Managing a real estate empire with line man- agement authorities to hire and fire is a very “much can be accomplished by reaching out across the aisle and into grassroots networks to the millions of lead- ers and citizens who will share the MAGA vision. ”