Dem
47
GOP
53
The week is young, but this is a pretty strong contender to be "least surprising news of the week," even once the clock has struck midnight this Sunday. Yesterday, The Telegraph (UK) reported that the White House has a "secret" spreadsheet that tracks 533 companies and trade organizations, in terms of how enthusiastically they have supported the administration in general, and the BBB in particular. The spreadsheet is consulted when making decisions about "corporate requests."
Donald Trump himself is not known for being this detail-oriented, or for using computers for anything besides late-night social media rants. So, we assume this spreadsheet is the work of one of his underlings (maybe Susie Wiles). But beyond that? Of course the administration is keeping score, and of course Trump allows himself to be influenced by "Who did the most to kiss my rear/finance my projects?" as opposed to "What would be best for the country?"
Note that we do not think this is entirely unique to Trump. Surely most/all presidential administrations (maybe not Jimmy Carter's) have at least a mental list of the entities that have been supportive. And while that mental list probably didn't directly influence the decisions made by Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or George H.W. Bush, it undoubtedly influenced decisions about who could, and could not, get those presidents (or, maybe their Cabinet secretaries) on the phone for a little lobbying.
What makes Trump unusual (although George W. Bush, and his relationship with Enron/Halliburton, is close) is how unbelievably hamfisted his administration is about these things. Not only is there a spreadsheet, but it's now publicly known that spreadsheet exists. And with him, it is surely much easier to turn dollars into friendly decisions than with any other president. The main risk for these corporate interests is that they will eventually learn that Trump is not an honest politician, as defined by (hopelessly corrupt) 19th century spoilsman Simon Cameron: "An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought." (Z)