If President Trump Really Doesn’t Read Memos, That’s A Huge Problem

[bigheadfred]

I used to manage President Obama’s briefing materials, delivering them late in the evening through the Colonnade at the White House or down the narrow hallway aboard Air Force One. I know what presidential briefings contain, and regardless of what you think of President Trump’s policies, reports that he has trouble concentrating on these materials should be a matter of concern.

The daily flow of presidential memos not only prepares the president for each day, it is central to decision-making and policy planning. The White House paper process carries recommendations from his advisors, through relevant White House offices for review, and finally to the president’s desk for consideration – from trade deals and treaties to military matters.

Mr. Trump has reportedly requested that his memos be no longer than one page, containing no more than nine bullets. The brevity of recently leaked memos regarding the president’s early immigration actions suggest this ‘CliffsNotes’ approach may already be in place. By way of comparison, Mr. Obama received a 57-page memo when considering his early administration priority: how to rescue the economy. The leaked memos for Mr. Trump contain far less information than comparable documents that I saw reach Mr. Obama’s desk, and suggest that his advisors do not think Mr. Trump will bother to read even the very brief memo they have written.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-president-reportedly-doesnt-read-memos-thats-a-huge-problem_us_589f1b6de4b094a129eb6ed6

[Bigun]

I used to manage President Obama’s briefing materials, delivering them late in the evening through the Colonnade at the White House or down the narrow hallway aboard Air Force One. I know what presidential briefings contain, and regardless of what you think of President Trump’s policies, reports that he has trouble concentrating on these materials should be a matter of concern.

The daily flow of presidential memos not only prepares the president for each day, it is central to decision-making and policy planning. The White House paper process carries recommendations from his advisors, through relevant White House offices for review, and finally to the president’s desk for consideration – from trade deals and treaties to military matters.

Mr. Trump has reportedly requested that his memos be no longer than one page, containing no more than nine bullets. The brevity of recently leaked memos regarding the president’s early immigration actions suggest this ‘CliffsNotes’ approach may already be in place. By way of comparison, Mr. Obama received a 57-page memo when considering his early administration priority: how to rescue the economy. The leaked memos for Mr. Trump contain far less information than comparable documents that I saw reach Mr. Obama’s desk, and suggest that his advisors do not think Mr. Trump will bother to read even the very brief memo they have written.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-president-reportedly-doesnt-read-memos-thats-a-huge-problem_us_589f1b6de4b094a129eb6ed6

Started to read this until I noticed the words Huffington post in the link! Stopped me in my tracks I tellya!

[bigheadfred]

Started to read this until I noticed the words Huffington post in the link! Stopped me in my tracks I tellya!

Well, expect a rush of stories on the topic soon.

[Fantom]

So, Trump tells them to "get to the point".  That is a good thing.

[Wingnut]

Excellent discussion point.

@bigheadfred     

I am sure it will end well.

[geronl]

So, Trump tells them to "get to the point".  That is a good thing.

Apparently he tells them, "Where do I sign?" before knowing what it does.

Trump is functionally illiterate.

[bigheadfred]

Apparently he tells them, "Where do I sign?" before knowing what it does.

Trump is functionally illiterate.

But, man, can he talk!

[Victoria33]

Mr. Trump has reportedly requested that his memos be no longer than one page, containing no more than nine bullets. The brevity of recently leaked memos regarding the president’s early immigration actions suggest this ‘CliffsNotes’ approach may already be in place.

@bigheadfred
@Suppressed
@mystery-ak
@Freya

This is how he ran his company.  I read that not long after the primary started.  Whoever was in charge of company communication, had to cut it down to one page and hand it to him, telling him what it said.  He said he didn't have time to read.  However, I think he has a learning disability - dyslexia - that causes him to give an order for only one page, with a few bullets on it and he has the person tell him what the the page says. I also think that is why his vocabulary is limited, why he uses the same words over and over and over.  A linguistic expert has said he speaks on a fourth grade level.

[bigheadfred]

Excellent discussion point.

@bigheadfred     

I am sure it will end well.

I'm sure it will. But since we'll all be dead why worry?  ^-^

[Bigun]

@bigheadfred
@Suppressed
@mystery-ak
@Freya

This is how he ran his company.  I read that not long after the primary started.  Whoever was in charge of company communication, had to cut it down to one page and hand it to him, telling him what it said.  He said he didn't have time to read.  However, I think he has a learning disability - dyslexia - that causes him to give an order for only one page, with a few bullets on it and he has the person tell him what the the page says. I also think that is why his vocabulary is limited, why he uses the same words over and over and over.  A linguistic expert has said he speaks on a fourth grade level.

Way back when Avis was nearly unknown in the car rental business they hired a new guy to run things. One of the first things he did upon taking over was to write a memo to all the executives in the company hierarchy. It read something like this:

This is the last memo!

If you have something to say to Bob or harry in the office two doors down from yours get up off your ass and wall down there and say what you need to say!

And BTW: If you have more records in your office than you can neatly file in the bottom right hand drawer of you desk you have too damned many! 

Signed XXXXXXX

I think that guy was on to something!

[truth_seeker]

Mr. Trump has reportedly requested that his memos be no longer than one page, containing no more than nine bullets.

I worked in a Fortune 500 corporation, and some people spread a rumor the President couldn't read.

He was a tough guy. He demanded brevity. Sharp organizer. Bring him solutions to implement, not just stuff to kick around.

When he retired, this illiterate guy started writing books.

From my experience with him, he would have limited it to fewer than 9 bullet points.

[Suppressed]

However, I think he has a learning disability - dyslexia - that causes him to give an order for only one page, with a few bullets on it and he has the person tell him what the the page says. I also think that is why his vocabulary is limited, why he uses the same words over and over and over.  A linguistic expert has said he speaks on a fourth grade level.

@Victoria33
I had assumed it was ADHD, but that's a good possibility, too!

[bigheadfred]

I worked in a Fortune 500 corporation, and some people spread a rumor the President couldn't read.

He was a tough guy. He demanded brevity. Sharp organizer. Bring him solutions to implement, not just stuff to kick around.

When he retired, this illiterate guy started writing books.

From my experience with him, he would have limited it to fewer than 9 bullet points.

And he was probably sharp enough to hire people who knew their end of his business better than he did, shut up , and let them do their jobs.

[Bigun]

And he was probably sharp enough to hire people who knew their end of his business better than he did, shut up , and let them do their jobs.

Now THAT is a novel idea!  Let's try that!

[ConservativeGranny]

"I think that guy was on to something!"

I don't know how many times this needs to be said but running a company is not the same as running an entire country like the US. The sheer volume of information that the POTUS needs to know is most likely more than any one man can absorb in one day and spans not just what is going on in our country but all over the world. The briefings that the POTUS receives already are in condensed form. The President can ask for more details if needed but you have to know what is in the reports first to know what you don't know.

I'm not surprised that Trump cannot handle this. Many of us warned that he was not a well-read man and that indeed it seemed he had some kind of learning disability. This is why he gets most of his information from the TV.  His inability to have a long attention span and read have been well-known before he was elected. I'm sure that the briefings may not be entertaining to Trump however sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done whether it bores you or not.

You would think that a man who has no experience with this type of responsibility and job would be spending his time reading books and getting up to speed instead of sitting up late at night posting immature nonsense on Twitter. But Twitter seems to fit Trump well as he doesn't have to worry about spelling and only has to write a few short sentences at a time. It doesn't require a large vocabulary.

[Chosen Daughter]

"I think that guy was on to something!"

I don't know how many times this needs to be said but running a company is not the same as running an entire country like the US. The sheer volume of information that the POTUS needs to know is most likely more than any one man can absorb in one day and spans not just what is going on in our country but all over the world. The briefings that the POTUS receives already are in condensed form. The President can ask for more details if needed but you have to know what is in the reports first to know what you don't know.

I'm not surprised that Trump cannot handle this. Many of us warned that he was not a well-read man and that indeed it seemed he had some kind of learning disability. This is why he gets most of his information from the TV.  His inability to have a long attention span and read have been well-known before he was elected. I'm sure that the briefings may not be entertaining to Trump however sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done whether it bores you or not.

You would think that a man who has no experience with this type of responsibility and job would be spending his time reading books and getting up to speed instead of sitting up late at night posting immature nonsense on Twitter. But Twitter seems to fit Trump well as he doesn't have to worry about spelling and only has to write a few short sentences at a time. It doesn't require a large vocabulary.

A post to agree with!

[truth_seeker]

"I think that guy was on to something!"

I don't know how many times this needs to be said but running a company is not the same as running an entire country like the US. The sheer volume of information that the POTUS needs to know is most likely more than any one man can absorb in one day and spans not just what is going on in our country but all over the world. The briefings that the POTUS receives already are in condensed form. The President can ask for more details if needed but you have to know what is in the reports first to know what you don't know.

I'm not surprised that Trump cannot handle this. Many of us warned that he was not a well-read man and that indeed it seemed he had some kind of learning disability. This is why he gets most of his information from the TV.  His inability to have a long attention span and read have been well-known before he was elected. I'm sure that the briefings may not be entertaining to Trump however sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done whether it bores you or not.

You would think that a man who has no experience with this type of responsibility and job would be spending his time reading books and getting up to speed instead of sitting up late at night posting immature nonsense on Twitter. But Twitter seems to fit Trump well as he doesn't have to worry about spelling and only has to write a few short sentences at a time. It doesn't require a large vocabulary.

From reading this, I conclude you have little or no knowledge about the top of large organizations; how management functions, etc.

Only Carter, rated among the worst Presidents, tried to absorb massive amounts of detail.

Reagan, rated near the top of Presidents, wanted little to do with minute detail.

[corbe]

   How much did daddy donate to Wharton to get him his BS undergrad degree, at least it got him 4 of his 5 deferments.

[Right_in_Virginia]

But Twitter seems to fit Trump well as he doesn't have to worry about spelling and only has to write a few short sentences at a time. It doesn't require a large vocabulary. 

Holy Mother of God, people still don't get it.   I don't know if it's intentional or if it's a failure to recognize the breathtaking shift in paradigm that has occurred. 

With a keystroke the President is able to directly reach 25,000,000 Twitter follows (also know as American voters) and millions more as that keystroke circulates on social media.  He leaves the MSM and socialists (both part of the fifth column) choking on his dust while they run to catch up.

This has nothing to do with vocabulary; and everything to do with strategy.

Jeeze, maybe it's time for some folks to buy a vowel.   

[corbe]

Holy Mother of God, people still don't get it.   I don't know if it's intentional or if it's a failure to recognize the breathtaking shift in paradigm that has occurred. 

With a keystroke the President is able to directly reach 25,000,000 Twitter follows (also know as American voters) and millions more as that keystroke circulates on social media.  He leaves the MSM and socialists (both part of the fifth column) choking on his dust while they run to catch up.

This has nothing to do with vocabulary; and everything to do with strategy.

Jeeze, maybe it's time for some folks to buy a vowel.   

@Right_in_Virginia   we're just jealous because were not stupid enough to follow him on twitter.   
   Some of us require more than 140 characters to understand something in depth.

[Right_in_Virginia]

@Right_in_Virginia   we're just jealous because were not stupid enough to follow him on twitter.   
 

No worries @corbe  I doubt you're missed.

(But you still might want to look into buying a few vowels.....  )

[ConservativeGranny]

"From reading this, I conclude you have little or no knowledge about the top of large organizations; how management functions, etc.

Only Carter, rated among the worst Presidents, tried to absorb massive amounts of detail.

Reagan, rated near the top of Presidents, wanted little to do with minute detail. "



No one said that Trump had to absorb "massive" amounts of detail but reading his daily briefs and doing a bit of humble homework is not too much to ask of any POTUS. You can research these daily briefings and what they are for with a simple search. They are not massive amounts of minute detail. The POTUS has a cabinet and advisors for a reason.

The point is, that his briefings are already downsized. It probably is unlikely that they can be condensed to a "Dick and Jane" reading level.

There is a vast difference between running a corporation large or small and a large country like the US. I think everyone realizes this is true. When the head of a corporation makes a mistake usually no one dies because of it nor goes to war. I don't think that can be denied.

This being said I think it is beyond time for the POTUS to show a bit of humility as to what he doesn't know and make an effort to make sure he gets himself up to speed as much as possible.  The President's priorities are in the wrong order. I don't not wish to be part of his personal reality show.

Everything that Donald Trump has done tells me that this is all about him. He has a very fragile ego, ill-informed, not well-read, and is very self-involved. He cannot admit to mistakes and appearances are everything to him. It is my belief that is a very dangerous man to have at the helm.

He has made many many mistakes in his business and personal life. He has had some business successes but also many failures as well. I hope being POTUS won't be his biggest failure of all but it seems Donald Trump is either a very slow learner or is incapable of learning.

[ConservativeGranny]

"With a keystroke the President is able to directly reach 25,000,000 Twitter follows (also know as American voters) and millions more as that keystroke circulates on social media.  He leaves the MSM and socialists (both part of the fifth column) choking on his dust while they run to catch up."

And how is he striving to get his message out to the rest of us who don't follow Twitter and don't get excited when the POTUS picks a petty fight with someone and belittles them.

When he acts like a teenager with a grudge on a social media account he is also communicating who he is.  The only people who are enjoying these rantings are his supporters. You can't persuade someone to your point of view or explain policy by calling them losers, liars and fake news on Twitter.  The POTUS has a dozen different ways to communicate his ideas and viewpoints to the people he works for. The WH has a website, there is facebook, television, press conferences etc. So far Trump has shown himself to be a very poor communicator.

For example, how helpful was it to anyone to hear him ramble on about Arnold's low ratings on his reality show? What he is doing is entertaining his supporters. He is performing because he loves the applause. He is doing nothing to promote a conservative agenda or ideas to those that could be swayed by facts and shown another side to an issue. Accepting this from your POTUS is setting the bar pretty low.

[Suppressed]

... So far Trump has shown himself to be a very poor communicator.

For example, how helpful was it to anyone to hear him ramble on about Arnold's low ratings on his reality show? What he is doing is entertaining his supporters. He is performing because he loves the applause. He is doing nothing to promote a conservative agenda or ideas to those that could be swayed by facts and shown another side to an issue. Accepting this from your POTUS is setting the bar pretty low.

 

[Chosen Daughter]

Second that