They Couldn't Cope

"Don't worry, Trump will surround himself with competent people."

I lost track of the number of times I heard this exact phrase in early 2017. From close friends to political pundits, everyone who saw Democrats' fear and despair did their best to reassure us that we were overreacting to the impending Donald Trump presidency. Despite the ongoing spectacle of prospective cabinet members being asked to go to Trump Tower to kiss the ring, we were told that at the end of the day, Trump would select moderate Republicans who would help keep in check his worst impulses. We were told that Trump would essentially be a figurehead and that the real decisions would be made behind the scenes by experienced political veterans. We might not like the policies enacted, but by and large, it would be a fairly normal Republican administration, along the lines of Bush I and Bush II. In short, we were told to believe that our fears were overblown and that Trump would not be as bad as he seemed. 

We were told wrong.

We were told wrong because friends and pundits alike misjudged just how broken the modern Republican Party had become. Not only was the party devoid of any intellectualism whatsoever but those willing to serve in the administration did so for a proximity to power rather than a sense of duty. Veteran Republicans like Mitt Romney were passed over for inexperienced men like Exxon executive Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State. Extremists like Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Senior Advisor Stephen Miller were given Trump's ear on issues like immigration. Billionaire donor and school voucher advocate Betsy DeVos was given the reigns of the Department of Education. General Michael Flynn was named National Security Advisor, despite the Trump transition team having identified him as a huge risk months before his inauguration. Even Trump's Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, was supposed to be a calming influence and a balance to the extreme views of Steve Bannon. As the RNC chairman and respected party insider, Priebus was supposed to keep Trump in line with the majority of the Republican Congress. Priebus then was unceremoniously let go after a mere 6 months on the job, proving that Trump was simply unwilling to work with someone who didn't bend the knee.

Knowing this, it should have come as no surprise that those who did serve in the Trump Administration did so under severe stress. So severe, in fact, that they were part of an apparent pill mill being provided by the White House Medical Unit. From a Thursday NBC News article:

WASHINGTON — The White House Medical Unit had “severe and systemic problems” with its pharmacy operations and provided health care to ineligible staffers before the Biden administration, according to a scathing report by the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General.

The multiyear investigation was prompted in 2018 by complaints alleging that a senior military medical officer in the White House clinic had “engaged in improper medical practices.” The probe included on-site visits and focused on a three-year period during the Trump administration, as well as employee interviews dating to 2009.


"The White House Medical Unit dispensed prescription medications, including controlled substances, to ineligible White House staff," said the report, which was released this month.

The unit also kept records for Schedule II drugs — such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone — in the same inventory that housed records for other medications, according to the report, even though federal regulations require them to be kept separate.

The clinic’s handwritten records from the Trump administration “frequently contained errors in the medication counts, illegible text, or crossed out text that was not appropriately annotated,” the report said.

In short, the Trump White House was passing out pills like candy.

As a man who reportedly drank 12 Diet Coke a day and who has been tied to abusing Adderall himself, Donald Trump would be perfectly at home in this type of setting. But so too, would his staff. After all, they all were in over their heads from the lowly intern to the highest members of his Cabinet. So it would make perfect sense that they would resort to taking uppers to try and match the mania of their exalted Dear Leader. But it would also make sense to receive medication when and if something went awry as it routinely did. For example, the Inspector General report shows a dramatic uptick in Ambien and Zolpidem at the exact time the Mueller Report was released. What better way to get a full night's sleep after committing treason than by stopping by the White House Medical Unit for a few pills before leaving the office for the day?

And while the unregulated drug use at the White House won't sink a third Trump presidential campaign, what it does do is create a clear distinction between the Trump and Biden administrations. While the Trump Administration was pill-popping daily to try and run a government, the Biden Administration has been scandal-free with no need to fire incompetent Cabinet members or advisors over the past three years. While Donald Trump brought in insufferable sycophants, Joe Biden brought in career veterans and talented up-and-comers qualified to take on their expected roles and responsibilities. It's why we can't help but laugh when news outlets like Axios write articles about Joe Biden being a tough boss. You're supposed to be a tough boss, you've got the safety and security of the world at stake! Joe Biden has always been tough but fair and the results of his administration versus Trump's reflect the effectiveness of his leadership style.

Joe Biden's staffers don't need unfettered access to drugs. They are confident and competent human beings. This is what happens when you have adults in the room rather than political neophytes. As Americans head to the polls in November they will have had an equal sample size of both Trump and Biden in the Oval Office. From the culture to the results to the overall view and vision of government as a whole, the two administrations could not be any more different. The Biden Administration is rooted in hope and a belief that government can and should do everything it can to help everyday Americans. The Trump Administration was rooted in fear and the belief that government is a tool to help the already rich and powerful. When you see optimism each and every day, that is your own natural high. When you see pessimism and hopelessness, that is when you turn to substance abuse. The Trump White House's drug-infested culture came from the man at the top, a man who himself was unequipped to do the job he was hired to do. 

A man who undoubtedly does not deserve a second chance. 

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