Trump's split presidential personality continues to be a problem for Americans and diplomats as the two entities in the White House often don't co-ordinate. Photo / Getty Images
Trump's split presidential personality continues to be a problem for Americans and diplomats as the two entities in the White House often don't co-ordinate. Photo / Getty Images
Two Donald Trumps keep appearing — one is US Commander in Chief, the other Tweeter in Chief.
It's as if once he opens his Twitter account Mr Trump is a separate personality to the occupant of the Oval Office.
Twitter Trump speaks to his grassroots political supports while President Trump has to respect the long-established practices and channels restricting presidential authority.
One Trump is unleashed for the gang back home; the other is a cramped Trump-style for those pedant bureaucrats.
And the split presidential personality continues to be a problem for Americans and diplomats as the two entities in the White House often don't co-ordinate.
The disconnect emerged starkly again with a Trump tweet.
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
This by any measure revealed President Donald Trump wanting the inquiry by Robert Mueller shut down by the nation's chef law official. And what a President wants from his Attorney-General a President usually gets.
As a Democrat put it: "The President of the United States just called on his Attorney-General to put an end to an investigation in which the President, his family and campaign may be implicated."
Trump's split presidential personality continues to be a problem for Americans and diplomats as the two entities in the White House often don't co-ordinate. Photo / Getty Images
However, according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders that assumption wasn't correct.
Presidential tweeter Trump was simply expressing an opinion, not issuing an order. Others noted his use of "should", arguing it was not a command.
It's not the first time presidential opinions have been discounted by as not matching presidential policy — in short, that President Trump's views clashed with Trump administration policy.
One Trump is unleashed for the gang back home; the other is a cramped Trump-style for those pedant bureaucrats. Photo / Getty Images
Last month the European Union fined online giant Google for competition breaches.
The $US5 billion fine — two weeks of Google revenue — riled tweeter Trump.
I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!
However, Trump administration cabinet members downplayed the presidential anger and made clear the fine was not part of a trade battle with Europe, as the President had suggested.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders spends a lot of time trying to explain Trump's tweets. Photo / AP
The varying distinctions between order and opinion can lead to confusion, as happened in March when Mr Trump vowed on Twitter to remove transgender people from the military.
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......
However, he hadn't consulted, and the generals refused to implement the "opinion" until it came in the form of an official order.
Press secretary and arch verbal contortionist Ms Sanders was unable to confirm the military chiefs wanted the transgender ban implemented, or had even discussed it with President Trump.
"That's something that the Department of Defence and the White House will have to work [on] together, as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully," she said.
Activists recently rallied and called on the Trump administration to meet the court ordered deadline to return immigrant children to their families after being separated. Photo / Getty Images
She also denied tweeter Trump had breached an election campaign promise by President Trump to protect LGBTQ Americans.
"The President has a lot of support for all Americans and certainly wants to protect all Americans at all times," she said.
"The President's expressed concern since this (former President Barack) Obama policy came into effect, but he's also voiced that this is a very expensive and disruptive policy and, based on consultation that he's had with his national security team, came to the conclusion that it erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, and made the decision based on that."
Same man, two messages. And it will happen again.
Same man, two messages. And it will happen again. Photo / AP
