CAN TRUMP GET THINGS BACK ON TRACK? – AT 10:45 A.M. ET:  You can't blame Trump entirely for the muddled messages we're getting from Washington.  After all, the press is relentlessly negative and has tried to torpedo him at every turn.  But still, he has to move more effectively to retake the bully pulpit.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

WASHINGTON—The White House on Monday will embark on a three-week messaging campaign aimed at refocusing attention on President Donald Trump’s agenda and framing a debate later this summer over rewriting the U.S. tax code.

The “Made In America” campaign, which starts with the president highlighting locally made products from around the country, is the latest attempt by Mr. Trump’s communications team to control a narrative that has consistently spun out of their grasp during the six months since the inauguration.

The challenge controlling the message is partly due to turmoil within the West Wing over strategy and tactics. Disagreements continue over how the communications shop should be organized and on what policies the team should concentrate, White House officials said. These conflicts have impaired the president’s ability to hire experienced Republican communicators, with even some of Mr. Trump’s supporters declining White House posts.

Scott Jennings, a consistent defender of the president on television and an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, refused White House inquiries about taking a senior-level position in the communications department, two White House officials said.

But the team’s biggest hurdle may be inside the Oval Office. Mr. Trump, who often says he is his own best adviser on politics and communications, frequently strays from the White House’s script and has fought attempts to tone down his Twitter persona, of which many top aides—and a majority of the American public—say they disapprove. Several senior administration officials privately complain that the White House’s main problem is decision-making, not public relations.

COMMENT:  A very straightforward report.  Let's see if the Trump White House can get a clear message of accomplishment out without stepping all over it.

And the White House must have a plan to stick to that message even in the face of efforts by CNN and others to get attention back to the "Russia" issue, which is their bread and non-cholesterol margarine right now. 

Trump should take a lesson from Reagan, who also faced a hostile press:  Speak directly to the American people.  The press will never be for you.

July 17, 2017