The Simpsons has taken a darkly satirical look at Donald Trump's first 100 days in power
It is time to assess the Trump legacy.
Not because he's on the way out, despite the possibility of impeachment frolicking through the dreams of Democrats and some Republicans.
The presidency of The Donald is just 100 days old, and his political report card might not have runs on the board just yet, but he has so swiftly turned US and global politics on their heads there are elements of his style which will outlast him.
ALL FUTURE PRESIDENTS WILL TWEET
Trump has grabbed the traditional presidential communications structure by its faded tatty suit lapels and shown it the door.
He has replaced it with his own network which often is limited to 140 characters on Twitter and often precedes official declarations by hours if not days. In 100 days he has given social media a substance it has never had.
The benefits for him are he can consolidate his loyal audience by talking directly to it. That's one reason that even though polls rate Trump the least popular newbie president, he has kept the loyalty of almost all who voted for him last year.
And he gets to not just bypass, but to sting the egos of the detested mainstream media (MSM), even as he commits on a massive scale some of the "alternative facts" sins he accuses the MSM of.
Of course, Trump has relished Twitter long before he was President. He regularly tweeted on a wide variety of topics, some political, some not.
There now is precedent for a president to hire his relatives. These are ties politics and policies can't weaken. Trump has appointed son-in-law Jared Kushner to multiple tasks including resolving problems in the Middle East, criminal justice reform and opiod crisis management.
Kushner is unqualified in all these areas and has no experience in government at any level. His prime recommendation is marriage to Trump daughter Ivanka, who also has been sent on presidential missions.
They both have offices in the West Wing, and while they have accomplished nothing in 100 days of public service and high security clearances they are strong influences and comforts for the President.
Trump, with daughter Ivanka Trump, who now has an office in the West Wing. Photo / AP
There is a tradition of keeping presidential relatives close.
President GWH Bush consulted sons George and Jeb, and they later both won office (the former as US President from 2001-2009). Hillary Clinton helped husband Bill on health care when he was President and she, too, went on to elected office.
Jared and Ivanka have cut though, and future Commanders in Chief now have the template for stacking a pack of advisers with relatives.
President Donald Trump certainly has his own style of governing. Photo / AP
TELL 'EM NOTHING
Trump has trashed conflict of interest considerations and while his successors won't be as bold on this front he has given them considerably more leeway.
The President wants to be able to boast he is a "billionaire" with a highly successful career but insists on stopping short of revealing too much.
He has refused to divest his businesses which include investments around the world and now are being run by his sons.
He won't release his tax returns while proposing changes to the tax system, which by any reckoning would give him a financial windfall.
Subsequent leaders are unlikely to have the corporate history of Donald Trump and the disclosure issues will not be as large. And the next President might wish to put distance between the new regime and the Trump past by throwing open the books to the public.
But there now is the Trump privacy imperative which allows the incumbent, rather than teams of ethics advisers, to decide what that us private can go public -- in short, what is good for voters to know.
DON'T LET VICTORY CHANGE YOU
Donald Trump has barrelled into office with much of his campaign rhetoric untouched by the realities of government. He continues to say things that would embarrass front-bar political big-mouths, and the fans love it.
This is an era of accumulating mistrust in politicians from established parties who change when they sit behind a bigger desk.
Their election promises are compromised by the practical restrictions of office and by the talent of those they work with. Many voters see those practicalities as feeble excuses and Donald Trump isn't offering any, although he has acknowledged that governing is more complicated than he thought, more demanding than building a golf course.
Donald Trump was a master campaigner, whipping up huge support across the US. Photo / AP
Just as during the campaign he was unconfined by facts, as President he says what he likes and what he knows his supporters will like, no matter the accuracy.
A few days ago Trump said Canada had a "tremendous" trade surplus with US. Actually, it's a US$15 billion deficit.
But the performance was to show the President out there fighting for American jobs in a hard-hitting manner uncluttered by what he would see as trifling debating points.
It's unlikely future leaders will be as freewheeling with facts as Trump, but they will note the faith he had kept with the language and issues which saw him elected, and the high marks he is getting from his constituency for this.
It's a political rather than governance matter, but the dividends are obvious.
