Making Daily Headlines · Page 4
Trump Changes Advisers, But the Midterm Questions Keep Their Seats
· New York time
President Trump is changing his closest advisers after Democrats made major gains in the midterm elections. The shake-up follows a result that altered the administration's political environment and left Republicans assessing what went wrong. Senior advisers influence which arguments reach a president and how decisions are prepared. Replacing members of an inner circle can change those relationships even when the administration's broad goals remain the same. The practical significance will depend on how the new team operates and what choices follow the personnel changes. The electoral context gives the moves an additional political meaning. A party responding to losses must consider whether voters objected to its decisions, its message, its messengers or some combination. A staff change is a visible response to an election, but it does not by itself settle that assessment. Nor does a new title tell voters what policies will follow. Washington often treats a change in personnel as both a fresh start and a complete explanation. It is certainly easier to move a nameplate than to resolve a debate about why voters changed their minds. The new seating chart can be printed quickly. The old questions have shown an irritating ability to find their chairs.
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