A White House insider has leaked President Donald Trump’s private daily schedules that show a breakdown in his daily routine over the past three months.
At least 51 private schedules detailed the agendas of the President on almost every business day since early November 2018, according to an exclusive Axios report on Sunday.
EXCLUSIVE from @alexi and @jonathanvswan: A White House source has leaked nearly every day of Trump’s private schedule for the past three months — and he’s spent around 60% of that time in “Executive Time.” https://t.co/eTa9NPkVaQ
— Axios (@axios) February 3, 2019
The schedules show that Trump designates up to seven and a half hours each day to unexplained “Executive Time,” which has comprised 60 percent of his overall schedule over the past three months.
Trump reportedly wakes before 6 a.m, but his first block of the schedule is Executive Time in the Oval Office from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to the leaked documents.
Another one-hour session of Executive Time takes place at 11:30 a.m. after his first meeting, then an additional three and a half hour session at 1:30 p.m., beginning just after lunch, according to the documents.
It’s not clear what the “Executive Time” is comprised of, yet it seems to reflect Trump’s looser approach to unstructured schedules, consistent with his previous remarks.
In his book “The Art of the Deal,” Trump explained his approach to work, which denounced excessive planning as an impediment to creativity and spontaneity, Axios reported.
“He’s always calling people, talking to people,” a White House official told Axios. “He’s always up to something; it’s just not what you would consider typical structure.”
Trump reviews swaths of materials during his briefings, including national security updates and news summaries at the end of each day, though some claim the materials are short and not complex, according to his preference.
The leak has elicited some tensions in the White House, with some staffers speaking out.
“What a disgraceful breach of trust to leak schedules. What these don’t show are the hundreds of calls and meetings [President Trump] takes everyday,” said Madeleine Westerhout, director of operations at the Oval Office.
What a disgraceful breach of trust to leak schedules. What these don’t show are the hundreds of calls and meetings @realDonaldTrump takes everyday. This POTUS is working harder for the American people than anyone in recent history. https://t.co/n1HrxmCsiB
— Madeleine Westerhout (@madwest45) February 3, 2019
“A White House aide is weaponizing his schedules, which says a lot about how people in the White House feel about the man they work for,” tweeted Maggie Haberman of the New York Times.
A White House aide is weaponizing his schedules, which says a lot about how people in the White House feel about the man they work for https://t.co/76K7XCzwPD
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 3, 2019
Axios noted that the schedules do not include all of Trump’s meetings, which sources said can happen sporadically. In addition, one to two meetings each day are not recorded on the private schedules accessible by staffers.
