President Trump sought to put more than a week of turmoil in his foreign policy team to rest as he selected Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his new National Security Advisor, replacing the ousted Mike Flynn. McMaster, a widely respected strategist had been in charge of developing the Army’s plans to address future threats. (He was named to the TIME 100 in 2014.) Trump had interviewed McMaster and other finalists at Mar-a-Lago this weekend, announcing the selection Monday to the press, just days after his first selection for the post declined the job. It capped a weekend in which Trump participated in a couple rounds of golf, attending a pair of fundraisers at his private club, and holding meetings with staff on the future of Obamacare and tax reform. The White House has promised developments on both of those legislative fronts in the coming weeks, but it is as yet unclear the extent of its coordination with Capitol Hill Republicans.
Trump also held a campaign rally in Florida Saturday, in which he worked to offer an alternative news report to his most ardent supporters. Trump again lambasted the media, while trying to put a positive spin on his first month in office. He rejected any concerns that there has been chaos in his Administration and delivered a greatest-hits version of his marathon campaign rallies. Trump also delivered a few exaggerations and at least one very confusing comment about crime and terrorism in Sweden.He didn’t win converts, but all in all, Trump accomplished what he’d set out to—rallying his backers outside of the traditional press.
Republicans brace for protests. More focus on Care after Obama. And the latest questions about Trump’s commitment to draining the swamp.
Here are your must reads:
Must Reads
President Trump Holds Re-Election Rally After Just a Month on the Job
An alternative news report to his voters [TIME]
Trump Forgets his Obama Criticisms
The new president, who attacked Obama for golfing and personal travel, spends his first month outdoing his predecessor [Politico]
Republicans Brace for Town Hall Protests About President Trump
2009 all over again [TIME]
Shadow President or Mere Shadow?
In Europe, Pence seeks to reassure allies unnerved by Trump [Washington Post]
With Coverage in Peril and Obama Gone, Health Law’s Critics Go Quiet
After Obama, the focus is on Care [New York Times]
Lobbyists Helped Bankroll President Trump’s Transition
Drain the… [Center for Public Integrity]
Sound Off
“I think all of us here in this room — all of us in America — have generally paid for our gas and oil all along, and I am sure we will continue to do so in the future. We’re not in Iraq to seize anybody’s oil.” — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, breaking with President Trump’s past comments as he visited Iraq this weekend
“Anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s going to stop.” —President Trump to NBC after failing to condemn anti-semitism at a press conference last week
Bits and Bites
President Trump Names Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as New National Security Adviser [TIME]
White House: ‘Silly’ to Allow Critics to Serve [TIME]
New Homeland Security Guidelines Call for the Sweeping Detention and Deportation of Illegal Immigrants [Associated Press]
President Trump Made a Confusing Reference to Sweden. Here’s What the White House Says He Meant [TIME]
White House chief of staff says take Trump seriously when he calls press “the enemy” [CBS]
Vice President Mike Pence to Attend AIPAC’s Annual Conference in March [Haaretz]
What to Know About President Trump’s New National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster [TIME]
In Trump’s Future Looms a Familiar Shutdown Threat [Associated Press]
Trump’s aides don’t want to admit the President is golfing [CNN]
Conservative Pundit Sebastian Gorka Brings ‘Global Jihadist Movement’ Theory Into White House [Wall Street Journal]
Mar-a-Lago 3, Camp David 0. With Trump as president, is the rustic Md. retreat doomed? [Washington Post]
As Trump makes foreign moves, Tillerson avoids the spotlight [Associated Press]
Liberals Are Still Angry, but Merrick Garland Has Reached Acceptance [New York Times]
Milo Yiannopoulos’s Pedophilia Comments Cost Him CPAC Role and Book Deal [New York Times]
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