Donald J. Trump's greatest failing as president has been staffing. This is rather surprising given his experience as a business leader.
The problem is twofold. First, after nearly two years in office, Trump still has not filled many positions. The result is that many government operations are still in the hands of Obama holdover and career bureaucrats who undermine the president. Second, Trump has filled many important positions with people who do not support his agenda.
A person who works in the White House told me, "I know 50 people in the White House who could have written anonymous for the New York Times." The clearest indication of this problem is that the people who helped get Trump elected are nowhere to be seen.
As a specific example, Trump ran on putting Americans first, highlighting problems with the immigration system. People who had been replaced by foreign workers campaigned with candidate Trump. Yet when it came to appoint leadership, did we see someone like Kris Kobach directing policy?
No.
Instead a Bush apparatchik is in charge at DHS and the agency chief of staff is a former lobbyist for H-1B bodyshops that specialize in replacing Americans with foreign workers — talk about foxes guarding the hen house.
The long awaited regulations on H-1B visas have finally been published and the result is entirely predictable from the people in charge.
If these regulations were made into a movie, the title would be The Swamp Strikes Back!
The two major changes in the regulation are that there will be a registration process for the H-1B lotteries and that foreign-born graduates with advanced degrees from U.S. schools will be able compete in the general H-1B lottery of 65,000 visas and then in the lottery for the 20,000 visas dedicated to them so that they will have two bites as the proverbial apple.
They do absolutely nothing for American workers. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
Where Othello paid the price for his jealousy, Macbeth for his unchecked ambition, and Hamlet for his inaction, Trump may well pay in 2020 for failing to staff his administration with people who support his agenda.