The Trump 2.0 administration is like no other administration ever, and its appointees are leading like in no other administration ever. They’re taking a cue from Donald Trump, and it’s a welcome cue because this administration understands the proper role of its leaders. It’s to lead and to be seen to be leading. It’s not to be doing the detailed work that every administration leader has a giant staff to do. Do you think Donald Trump descends into detailed policy analyses? Do you think he’s writing position papers? Of course not, and it’s not because he’s dumb. He’s not dumb. He’s a very smart guy, and he understands that leadership involves leading; that’s what he’s doing by getting out there every day, talking to the press, communicating, and setting the terms in public. Remember the most notorious presidential micromanager? Jimmy Carter, now merely the second worst president of the last century.
Don’t be like Jimmy Carter.
People have the idea that the president or the head of a cabinet department is necessarily deep in the weeds, crafting and implementing policies and managing every element of their domain. Sometimes you need that. Sometimes, you need somebody who’s very focused on details. Our Treasury secretary seems to be one of those guys, although he also masterfully handles the public-facing aspect. The public-facing aspect of this revolution that Donald Trump has ignited in his second term is key, and that’s why you see these leaders out there doing interviews, jumping on podcasts, being out there at the cutting edge with subordinates performing their duties. Trump set out his vision (for you military folks, his intent). They are explaining how they are executing it in their domain and, critically, showing that they are doing so.
“Promises made, promises kept” is this administration’s motto. We have an electorate that has been shamelessly lied to by Democrats, bureaucrats, the regime media, and the Fredocons. The voters trust Trump, but they also demand verification. That’s what Trump 2.0 needs to provide right now. We have a crisis of confidence in our government where people don’t believe it works, so it’s vital that we show it working when we are in charge. That’s why we see cabinet secretaries out there with their folks in the field. Saying “We shut the border down” or “We’re taking weak and woke out of the military” is one thing; showing it is another.
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Some people don’t get it. For instance, in a recent interview with one of the gentlemen dismissed from the Pentagon – a Naval Academy graduate who I’ve been told is a great guy and who seemed to be a dedicated patriot when he was talking to Megyn Kelly –complained that Pete Hegseth is out doing physical training with the troops rather than being in his office doing…what? What is Pete Hegseth supposed to be doing in his office? What is Pete Hegseth’s best and highest use? Is it sitting at a comically large desk reading and writing memos all day? No! That does not support his primary mission. His primary mission right now is to bring back our military culture. Until he does that, all the procurement stuff, the policy stuff, and the strategy stuff is meaningless. Until he refocuses our military on killing our enemies rather than on weird commie social pathologies, America’s armed forces are nothing but a cash-guzzling failure machine that spits out maimed and dead soldiers while putting checks in the “L” column.
The highest, best use for Pete Hegseth is issuing clear, brief orders while being the public face of the Pentagon and demonstrating that we’re a killing organization again. SecDef Hegseth is not going to be diving deep into the details of policy. The White House is going to dictate the big policy, and he’s got hundreds, maybe thousands, of people to do the job of filling out the details. Hegseth’s job is to be seen fixing the military and then to sign some things. Yeah, that’s a simplification, but not really.
What do you think a staff officer (whether military or civilian) does? A staff officer prepares the detailed product for final approval by the commander based on the big picture the commander paints. A commander, which Pete Hegseth is, comes up with a concept and gives guidance. It’s his staff that handles the nitty-gritty and figures out how to implement it. Rember how LBJ was picking bombing targets in North Vietnam; remember how that went? The commander approves the staff product, rejects it, or sends it back for revision. A commander habitually diving into the staff process is a commander who’s going to be presiding over a slow, inefficient organization focused more on process than outcome.
In other words, Trump’s leaders cannot let themselves get sucked into the bureaucratic quicksand.
Let’s look at how this works at a lower level – the principles of leadership are the same at all levels. When I was a battalion commander, I think I had two all-hands meetings with all my company commanders and staff officers in two years. Why? Because my job wasn’t to sit in meetings (nor was theirs). My job was to make decisions and ensure they were carried out, which I did by walking around. And it worked. My cavalry squadron rocked because my people were allowed to do their jobs, and I did mine. I don’t think I ever had an all-hands meeting as an acting brigade commander. Why? Because we didn’t need one.
Either the commander commands or his subordinates command for him by default. One common way to undercut a leader is to drown him in paperwork to convince him that he must master the minute details of everything within his command. By doing so, underlings who want to control things themselves effectively neuter their boss. He doesn’t see anything but what they show him. He doesn’t hear anything but what they tell him. And he certainly doesn’t do anything but what they want him to do.
No. You can’t let that happen. And it will happen if you don’t lead with a whip and a chair. “This is what I want. I’m going to do pull-ups with the Rangers. Have it for my signature when I’m done.”
You give your staff enough time to brief you, and then you make decisions. Now, a commander has an obligation to his staff. You owe your people clear and comprehensive decisions so they know what is expected and can provide it to you for final approval. That’s how this works. The idea that Pete Hegseth is doing something wrong by being out there and showing the force that we now care about troops not being fat is crazy. A leader’s example is invaluable. What is the value of Pete Hegseth sitting at his desk deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, reading a detailed paper on how we’re rebuilding our shipbuilding capacity? He doesn’t know anything about shipbuilding capacity. Nobody knows anything about shipbuilding capacity except the guys who wrote the paper about shipbuilding capacity, and they may not know anything about it either, judging by our shameful recent performance. He needs a clear, concise staff product that allows him to make a quick, smart decision on how to proceed, and then he can go outside and be filmed doing push-ups with the Marines because that’s what will make more people reenlist in the Marines.
It’s great how other secretaries are out there showing the flag for the administration, too. Kristi Noem is everywhere, reminding people that if you’re an illegal alien, you need to get the hell out of our country. What value would she have sitting in an office reviewing memos? None. Of course, there were some missteps – she looked a little awkward holding that rifle with those two studly federal officers, but her point was clear. Our federal officers are badasses, and they’re going to haul you back to your Third World hellhole unless you go voluntarily. That’s the message we need to send, and that’s the message she’s sending.
And, of course, Donald Trump is the master of this kind of leadership. I know people who have worked, or do work, with him closely. He’s thoughtful, focused, and smart, but he’s not going to do the jobs of the people working for him. Fortunately, this time, he was able to leverage his first-term experience and bring in people who know what the heck they’re doing and how to get stuff done. He expects and lets his people do their jobs. Again, it’s never going to be perfect. People are going to screw up. You’re going to have turf wars. You’re going to have people say dumb things. Some folks are going to leak for personal advantage, but no one can seriously argue that the difference between Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0 are anything less than night and day.
The last hundred days have been incredible. His people know what they’re doing, and his people are doing their jobs. And Donald Trump, like his appointees, is doing his. He’s out there showing the way, leading from the front – which is exactly where a leader needs to be.
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