Eric Levitz writes about the strange habits of President-elect Donald Trump:
Donald Trump won’t content himself with the standard-issue presidency—he’s going to have his customized. Daily intelligence briefings are out, along with the norms that prohibit the appearance of corruption. “Victory rallies” are in—as is the private security force that policed dissent at Trump’s events throughout his campaign.
Wait. What? I knew about this other stuff, but Trump is keeping his private security force? Isn’t that what the Secret Service is for? Ken Vogel explains what’s happening:
The arrangement represents a major break from tradition…But Trump—who puts a premium on loyalty and has demonstrated great interest in having forceful security at his events—has opted to maintain an aggressive and unprecedented private security force, led by Keith Schiller, a retired New York City cop and Navy veteran.
…In interviews with about a dozen people who interact with Trump, they said even as the president-elect’s Secret Service detail has expanded significantly since the election, he remains most comfortable with Schiller and his team…The Trump associates say Schiller is expected to become a personal White House aide who would serve as the incoming president’s full-time physical gatekeeper.
Every time we learn more about Trump, we learn what a total whack job he is. He’s like a walking encyclopedia of neuroses. But maybe that’s not so bad. Maybe this means he’s perfect for America, since we seem to be a national encyclopedia of neuroses these days. I predict a land office business in Xanax over the next four years.
