Andy Card, who served as chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, said Thursday he'd give President Donald Trump a "B-Plus" rating for his first 100 days in office.
"This is the first time that the test of performance during the first 100 days is really about ratings, and Donald Trump's ratings are very high," Card said during an MSNBC "Morning Joe" panel discussion.
"People pay attention, so if it's the same measure that you would use in the media, he's had a phenomenal 100-day run."
However, Card continued, that is a comparison based on television viewer ratings, not political ratings, and "it's less about judging who's a sinner and who's a saint, and more about watching the event. Lots of people are watching the event."
When it comes to performance at the White House, he continued, "the trains have been running on time, so the White House performance itself has been very good. The luggage doesn't get lost, the trips to Mar-a-Lago have gone well, the teleprompter works. The White House is functioning well."
In terms of policy, Card said, "unintended consequences ended up defining more policy than the policy itself," but there is progress being made.
"He's marketing the heck of what he's planning to do, but everybody hasn't bought it yet," Card said. "But it's still in the marketplace and I think that he is probably doing a lot better than the pundits are likely to say. I give him kind of a B-plus."
Trump has also "clearly changed the temperament of Washington," and now, people are paying more attention, said Card.
"For a long time Washington, D.C., was a black box that nobody could look into," said Card. "At least he's shining the spotlight on Congress and what they're doing or not doing."
Card said he is disappointed that the federal agencies' jobs haven't all been filled, and Trump needs more people around him and "speaking truth to power in the executive branch of government. I would say get the team in place."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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