SECONDNEXUS
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One of President Donald Trump's White House staffers rushed to his defense on Sunday after three months' worth of private schedules leaked over the weekend.
According to documents obtained and published by Axios, from November 7, 2018, to February 1, 2019, 60 percent of Trump's days were spent in unstructured "Executive Time."
Madeline Westerhout, Director of Oval Operations and special assistant to the president, blasted the leaks as "disgraceful" on Twitter and it reads like it was written by Trump, particularly:
"This POTUS is working harder for the American people than anyone in recent history."
Not to mention "Hundreds of calls and meetings" every day. Really?
People weren't buying her Trump boosterism.
Does anyone really believe Trump has hundreds of calls and meetings every day? https://t.co/9sNyFZ1uQ8— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1549237413.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump How can one person take "hundreds of calls everyday" is he a customer care representative?— Lasun Omonile (@Lasun Omonile) 1549233581.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump Oh sweet Madeleine, this won’t end well for you. Lying from the White House is going to… https://t.co/bFvjzyLXJ1— Patti (@Patti) 1549281190.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump Hahahahahaha.....hahahaha. No, Madeleine. Schedules don't show the"hundreds of calls &m… https://t.co/qbeIyisGeV— Kathy Bruno (@Kathy Bruno) 1549288191.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump He live-tweets "Fox & Friends" every day. You're not fooling anyone.— Benjamin Siemon (@Benjamin Siemon) 1549237564.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump Wait, we're supposed to be grateful that Hair Furor is talking to his friends and croni… https://t.co/JSLDann8EY— Alexandra Erin (@Alexandra Erin) 1549233738.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump If such calls and meetings took place, they would be documented. There would be read ou… https://t.co/6VDu1hZAye— Dave Simon (@Dave Simon) 1549293890.0
Upon examination of the schedules, it's clear why the White House wouldn't want them publicized.
Trump "wakes before 6 a.m., is never in the Oval during those hours, according to six sources with direct knowledge," Axios reported. "Instead, he spends his mornings in the residence, watching TV, reading the papers, and responding to what he sees and reads by phoning aides, members of Congress, friends, administration officials and informal advisers."
Trump's first meeting of the day, which is typically his intelligence briefing, reportedly takes place around 11:30. Must be nice.
Axios noted that the private schedules do not include every meeting because many of them are "spur of the moment." There are also other meetings that occur but are only known by Trump's innermost circle.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also responded to the Axios report.
"President Trump has a different leadership style than his predecessors and the results speak for themselves," Sanders said in a statement. "While he spends much of his average day in scheduled meetings, events, and calls, there is time to allow for a more creative environment that has helped make him the most productive President in modern history."
Sanders listed Trump's alleged accomplishments, and it again sounds like Trump.
"President Trump has ignited a booming economy with lower taxes and higher wages, established the USA as the #1 producer of oil and gas in the world, remade our judiciary, rebuilt our military, and renegotiated better trade deals," Sanders said. "It’s indisputable that our country has never been stronger than it is today under the leadership of President Trump."
Sure. Why is there so much unstructured time?
@axios @alexi @jonathanvswan "Executive Time" sounds like something George Costanza would make up while working for Vandalay Industries.— Shihtzunami 💙 (@Shihtzunami 💙) 1549226501.0
@axios @alexi @jonathanvswan We’re lucky. If he were more disciplined and actually did things we’d be way worse off.— EndlessShame (@EndlessShame) 1549224289.0
@axios @alexi @jonathanvswan Why does he have Executive Time before and after lunch every day when most days he doe… https://t.co/NLCJryScNd— Chronically Woke 🌴🌵🦂 (@Chronically Woke 🌴🌵🦂) 1549227564.0
@axios @alexi @jonathanvswan Who doesn't need 3 hours tv watching to prep for a 30 minute meeting and then an hour… https://t.co/9w5l4YiMGk— Kasper Guttman Ⓥ (@Kasper Guttman Ⓥ) 1549232497.0
@axios @alexi @jonathanvswan Seems a bit Low Energy— Jonathan (@Jonathan) 1549241182.0
Trump's daily tweets, which frequently parrot what he consumes from Fox News, are, to many, a dead giveaway to his work ethic.
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump He literally live tweets his days, and it’s all cable news commentary and golf, with a… https://t.co/vFhUbfXzMD— great scott! 🇺🇸 (@great scott! 🇺🇸) 1549237196.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump LOL. At least TRY to make it remotely plausible. That lazy dumdum is about as active a… https://t.co/cec4onuzFj— The Hoarse Whisperer (@The Hoarse Whisperer) 1549240336.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump How much work is porkus doing while watching tv? If he’s working so hard then show us… https://t.co/AaFY799wo4— Winston Smith 🆘💔💔💔 (@Winston Smith 🆘💔💔💔) 1549283484.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump Yes. That is why President Trump routinely live-tweets television programs. It is becau… https://t.co/80OuvRoYz4— Cornelius Cornelius (@Cornelius Cornelius) 1549232929.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump How much work is porkus doing while watching tv? If he’s working so hard then show us… https://t.co/AaFY799wo4— Winston Smith 🆘💔💔💔 (@Winston Smith 🆘💔💔💔) 1549283484.0
@madwest45 @realDonaldTrump Sure. We know how much TV he watched because he live tweets it. Spare us.— Megan Sutherland (@Megan Sutherland) 1549233508.0
Maybe this is why Trump's desk is often empty.