Official portrait of President Donald J. Trump, Friday, October 6, 2017. (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)

Gary Cohn, head of Donald Trump’s National Economic Council, has resigned his post. Reports indicate Cohn reached an impasse with Trump over the President’s decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Cohn was not only a consistent voice for free trade, he was also one of the few advisors committed to speaking the truth to Trump regardless of the consequences. Former COO of Goldman Sachs, Cohn seemingly behaved as if it was his responsibility to advise the President away from bad choices. Trump respected him, but recently made it clear Cohn would lose this battle over tariffs. Cohn decided he’d had enough.

Just a shade past his first year in office, Trump has overseen the following departures:

• Four communications directors (Spicer, Dubke, Scaramucci, Hicks)
• Chair, National Economic Council (Cohn)
• Chief of Staff (Priebus)
• National Security Advisor (Flynn)
• FBI Director (Comey)
• Chief Strategist (Bannon)
• Staff Secretary (Porter)
• Associate Attorney General (Brand)
• Senior Intelligence Director (Cohen-Watnick)

According to a study by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, of Brookings, Trump’s turnover rate is remarkable when compared to previous administrations. During his first year, Trump has witnessed a 34% turnover in his “A Team,” the advisors that, arguably, have the most responsibility and influence on decision-making in the White House. For the sake of comparison, Obama had 9% turnover in that time, George W. Bush had 6%. Reagan’s 17% was the previous highest rate of turnover. Trump has doubled it.

Beyond the sheer turnover, Trump has a habit of making staff life miserable. The President has publicly humiliated staffers by questioning their comments when it suits him. Trump went to Twitter to malign H.R. McMaster’s testimony on Russia during the last election.

Trump also insults and belittles staffers. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a key early Trump supporter in the U.S. Senate, has suffered the most. According to POTUS, Sessions has been “disgraceful,” “beleaguered,” and “very weak.” Again, these are public comments. Interviews of sources inside the White House paint an even darker picture, with Trump screaming at the Attorney General, who has threatened to resign on multiple occasions.

Keep in mind the President has the full legal authority to fire Jeff Sessions whenever he chooses. For whatever reason, he prefers to make sport of the A.G., who happens to be the chief law enforcement officer in the United States.

Perhaps most shockingly, Trump makes policy pronouncements without discussion and input from key advisors and government agencies. Trump’s announced change in the Department of Defense’s policy on transgenderism was a surprise at the Pentagon. Trump’s decision on steel and aluminum tariffs caught White House staff off guard, with a spokeswoman claiming an hour before that no decision was forthcoming.

While the President, of course, retains the authority to make these decisions, failing to seek, much less heed, wise advice reflects poorly on President Trump. Regardless of whether his decisions were good or bad, failing to put the full weight of the Executive Branch behind his decisions reveals a misunderstanding of his own power. He fails to capitalize on the news cycle. He fails to marshal his lieutenants to speak on his behalf. He fails to consider potential improvements to his policies.

The emerging picture seems to paint President Trump as a free-wheeling manager allergic to process and prone to impulsive choices. John Kelly, Trump’s current Chief of Staff, has tried to curb these tendencies by structuring Trump’s day carefully and limiting some of his visitors. Evidence indicates Kelly has failed in these endeavors.

Trump manages, it seems, by the seat of his pants. I have no real clue how this functioned in his business ventures, but it is a poor fit for something as complex as the Executive Branch. Trump has so many tools at his disposal, but they largely lay on the bench, awaiting use. From what I can tell, Trump’s primary business dealings during the past two decades have revolved around the promotion of his own brand to enhance the value of real estate, television shows, and other products (food, clothes, resorts). To succeed in those realms requires a particular sort of genius–the ability get and maintain attention and then use it to enhance an image. These skills were enough to win an election. They may be enough win a second term, but they are ill-suited for governing.

In Trump’s defense, President Obama suffered from the same problem. Obama struggled to distinguish between campaigning and governing. He was a poor advocate for policy, but he was an excellent advocate for himself.

It is, to be sure, one of the cruel ironies of modern American politics. To get elected to the White House, one must be the consummate self-promoter. To get something done? That is a different matter altogether. Strategy. Discipline. Steadfastness. Attention to detail. Appropriate levels of accountability. Building coalitions of support. Turning enemies into friends. Knowing when to speak. Knowing when not to. Surrounding yourself with capable, yet loyal, advisors who share your vision.

There are thousands of ingredients that make up a well-functioning White House. This previous list is surely superficial. Advisors, though, should be extensions of their boss. They should be skilled political brawlers. They need to know how to lead and how to follow. They need experience and, ideally, at the same time, a freshness with a dollop of idealism for what might get accomplished.

Donald Trump’s supporters during the 2016 election cycle promised people like me–“don’t worry. He’ll surround himself with good, conservative, smart people who will help him run the government. Just wait and see.” While hopeful, I was never convinced that Trump could be “managed.”

The person I probably trust most in the administration, Mike Pence, seems strangely absent in all of these discussions. Though it is an inference, it seems likely he has been marginalized when it comes to decision-making. The military men (Mattis, Kelly, and McMaster) are still around, but they appear to be floundering in their efforts to corral Trump’s worst tendencies. Everyone else seems to be caught in the constant churn in the West Wing. Everyone, that is, except for Trump’s family members–Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. They are constants and they are the least expert in all the matters with which they are dealing on a daily basis.

I hope the President learns and grows during the next three years, but I am not optimistic. If he fails to get a handle on his staffing problems, it is unlikely we will see major advancements out of the White House.