Here is an article about how Trump seems to be trying to govern the US like an Internet troll. In other words, like a sophomoric, self-absorbed mental adolescent who likes to say nasty things in order to offend people, because he gets a kick out of it. This goes back to something I've repeatedly commented on, the recent cynical trend of labeling noble sentiments as laughable or suspect, and the glorification of causing hurt and destruction as being something noble.
Given all this, I like many others have been heartened by how slowly and ineffectually Trump seems to be moving forward with his major policy initiatives. He has had to backtrack from a number of extreme positions as checks and balances, popular opinion, democratic processes, objective realities, real budgets, and political scandal all take their toll. However, this other article claims we should take any such comfort with a grain of salt, given that the expressed purpose of Mr. Bannon is to dismantle the government, and the paralysis of Trump's empty deputy Cabinet positions, plus the freeze on budget and hiring, may all simply be part of this grand plan to deconstruct the state.
At the same time, it seems that Mr. Trump's administration is indeed tightening ship on the most mean-spirited bits of legislation that are dear to them. See for example this analysis by the same lawyer I linked to after the first Muslim ban Executive Order. The author admits that, while the same malevolent spirit that inspired the first Executive Order is still very alive, the incompetence that tempered that malevolence has been addressed, such that this new Muslim ban will be much more difficult to challenge in court.
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