Minutes after the clock struck 6 a.m. ET on Friday, President Donald Trump was up and tweeting. But he wasn’t voicing displeasure with his own party, the Russia probe or 2016 campaign rival Hillary Clinton.
Instead, he had an economic message: “Toyota & Mazda to build a new $1.6B plant here in the U.S.A. and create 4K new American jobs. A great investment in American manufacturing!” he wrote.
“Consumer confidence is at a 16 year high….and for good reason. Much more regulation ‘busting’ to come. Working hard on tax cuts & reform!” he added minutes later.
While the @realDonaldTrump account offers a rare, unfiltered look into the mindset of the President, Trump’s early-morning social media musings have at times derailed the White House’s messaging push for the day — and sometimes, the entire week.
Friday marks the end of John Kelly’s first week as White House chief of staff. Sworn in Monday, the retired Marine Corps general faces the challenge of bringing order to an often chaotic White House. Part of the new structure means all White House staff now report directly to him.
“Gen. Kelly has the full authority to operate within the White House, and all staff will report to him,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday. That includes the President’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the administration has clarified.
Kelly brings a sense of military discipline to the new role — he served as the commander of United States Southern Command for four years under President Barack Obama and was the commanding general in Iraq from 2008 to 2009.
It remains to be seen whether Kelly can rein in the President himself and keep him focused, but so far, Trump’s tweets have remained noticeably focused during the chief of staff’s first week on promoting his administration’s successes.
On Monday, Trump refrained from posting on Twitter until after 8 a.m. ET, when he wrote about health care:
“If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn’t it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?” he wrote.
Trump also pushed back against reports that his White House is in “chaos,” instead highlighting his administration’s accomplishments.
“Highest Stock Market EVER, best economic numbers in years, unemployment lowest in 17 years, wages raising, border secure, S.C.: No WH chaos!” he wrote, noting that evening that it was “A great day at the White House!”
Tuesday, he touted the stock market’s “all-time high.”
He also had a message for those who want him to stop using Twitter: “Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media (110 million people). Only way for me to get the truth out!”
On Wednesday, he posted photos from official White House events on small businesses with his daughter and Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon, an immigration announcement and a Monday event honoring a Vietnam veteran with the Medal of Honor.
He also pushed back against a report in Golf Magazine.
“I love the White House, one of the most beautiful buildings (homes) I have ever seen. But Fake News said I called it a dump – TOTALLY UNTRUE,” he wrote.
Thursday, he again tweeted about the stock market’s “all-time high” and vowed to continue to “get rid of costly and unnecessary regulations.”
He did stoke some controversy by criticizing the Republican-controlled Congress.
“Our relationship with Russia is at an all-time & very dangerous low. You can thank Congress, the same people that can’t even give us HCare!” he wrote.
Later in the day, he was back on track, touting a new VA announcement and his trip to West Virginia for a campaign rally.
And early Friday, he continued an economic message, citing the Toyota and Mazda news, touting a new investment in Wisconsin by Foxconn and promoting his administration’s work on tax reform and the latest jobs numbers.
“Excellent Jobs Numbers just released – and I have only just begun. Many job stifling regulations continue to fall. Movement back to USA!” he wrote.
The President plans to spend Friday attending a meeting on hurricane season at FEMA headquarters, dine privately with Vice President Mike Pence and speak by phone to French President Emanuel Macron.
He then departs for a 17-day working vacation at his Bedminister golf club in New Jersey.