Trump has put his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a 36-year-old real estate investor, in charge of streamlining the federal bureaucracy, drawing upon business ideas. At the same time, Kushner is Trump’s lead advisor on foreign and domestic policy and oversees relations with Mexico, Canada, China, and the Middle East.

“President Trump plans to unveil a new White House office on Monday with sweeping authority to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and fulfill key campaign promises — such as reforming care for veterans and fighting opioid addiction — by harvesting ideas from the business world and, potentially, privatizing some government functions.


“The White House Office of American Innovation, to be led by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, will operate as its own nimble power center within the West Wing and will report directly to Trump. Viewed internally as a SWAT team of strategic consultants, the office will be staffed by former business executives and is designed to infuse fresh thinking into Washington, float above the daily political grind and create a lasting legacy for a president still searching for signature achievements.


“All Americans, regardless of their political views, can recognize that government stagnation has hindered our ability to properly function, often creating widespread congestion and leading to cost overruns and delays,” Trump said in a statement to The Washington Post. “I promised the American people I would produce results, and apply my ‘ahead of schedule, under budget’ mentality to the government.”

“
In a White House riven at times by disorder and competing factions, the innovation office represents an expansion of Kushner’s already far-reaching influence. The 36-year-old former real estate and media executive will continue to wear many hats, driving foreign and domestic policy as well as decisions on presidential personnel. He also is a shadow diplomat, serving as Trump’s lead adviser on relations with China, Mexico, Canada and the Middle East.”

Like Trump, Kushner has no experience on government or in foreign or diplomatic affairs.

This is an administration dedicated to amateurism and calling it “innovation.”

Call it “Govern for America.”

Nicholas Kristof wrote this morning that Trump represents the “triumph of incompetence.” He wrote that Trump “has crafted an administration in his own image: vain, narcisstic, and dangerous.”

The German Defense Ministry sharply disagreed with Trump’s claim that it should pay more to NATO. Trump tweeted that he had a “great” meeting with Angela Merkel, but his famous art-of-the-deal left her unconvinced.

The U.S. keeps 62,000 military personnel in the European Union, compared to 1.7 million from EU states.

“On Sunday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen called the criticism “inaccurate,” without mentioning the president’s name.


“NATO does not have a debt account,” von der Leyen said, according to her ministry.

“In reality, NATO has only a small logistical budget, which relies on funding by all member states. The vast majority of NATO members’ total resources are managed domestically.
The criticism echoed that of other experts, including former U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder. 

“Trump’s comments misrepresent the way NATO functions,” Daalder told The Washington Post on Saturday. “The president keeps saying that we need to be paid by the Europeans for the fact that we have troops in Europe or provide defense there. But that’s not how it works.

”
Von der Leyen also indirectly criticized Trump’s plan to reduce funding for U.N. peacekeeping missions. German defense expenditure was not exclusively dedicated to NATO missions, she emphasized, and additional German funding would be used for U.N. peacekeeping missions, for instance. “What we want is a fair burden-sharing, and in order to achieve that, we need a modern understanding of security,” von der Leyen said.
The rather unusual rebuke of Trump by a German defense minister indicates growing concerns in Berlin over transatlantic relations.

“The percentage of Germans who view the United States as a trustworthy ally has dropped from 59 percent in November to 22 percent in February.

“In recent months, Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s outspoken vice chancellor and foreign minister, has even called Trump a “threat.

”
This is a shift in a nation that has long considered itself one of the United States’ closest allies, although at times an uncomfortable one. Germany’s foreign policy is still shaped by memories of World War II, and foreign military operations are deeply unpopular with German voters. Instead of boosting its defense spending, Germany has historically invested more in development aid and deepened its economic ties with other nations.



“But Germany is also the largest European host nation for U.S. troops, home to about 30,000 American service members.

“Theoretically, Trump could threaten to withdraw some of those troops and move them elsewhere. But such a move would make little strategic sense for the United States, which relies on its military bases in Germany such as Ramstein for operations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Over the past decade, U.S. bases in Germany have mostly benefited America.”