The Note: Two Weeks of Trump

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February 3, 2017

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Two Weeks of Trump

The Big Story

Welcome to the big leagues, bigly. After a news cycle dominated by foreign-policy clashes and potential ones – even tense words among allies – it looks like President Trump is moderating his foreign-policy bluster. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley went to the UN with a warning for Russia – a first for the Trump team. And a strange evening statement – the kind that can't come out of nowhere – pronounced that the president believes that new settlements beyond Israel's "current borders may not be helpful" in achieving peace. That sounds very … Obama. It all has the appearances of an administration team that is realizing that governing is quite a bit more complicated than campaigning. The president has discovered the need for nuance, at least for now.

The Sleeper Story

Candidate Trump always made clear that he wanted to get rid of the Johnson Amendment, even though the vast majority of voters surely had no idea what he was talking about. His National Prayer Breakfast vow to "totally destroy" that piece of law plays great among churches that want to play more politics. But there's a reason it's stayed on the books for six decades. Getting rid of it would mean tax-exempt institutions could endorse and/or oppose candidates. That would upend the campaign-finance system overnight, by allowing de facto campaign contributions to be tax deductible –funneled through houses of worship. It's not clear whether Congress would go along. But a draft executive order circulating inside the Trump administration would weaken enforcement – a first step, perhaps, toward repeal.

The Shiny Story

Is there any more perfectly, completely Trumpian feud than the one the president is stoking with Arnold Schwarzenegger? Trump's shot at the new "Celebrity Apprentice" host's ratings –on the show Trump still has a producing credit on – was of course designed to get Schwarzenegger to fire back. The battle is joined, and more people might watch – promotion accomplished. In some ways, this Donald vs. Arnold fight is the least difficult to understand development of Trump's presidency. It's one of those classic promotional stunts where the "fight" isn't meant to have a winner, since both sides win while it's waged. So yeah, Trump still knows how to play that game, even as president.

TLDR

After a week of headlines in the foreign policy world and clashes with even the closes of allies, the Trump administration seems to be changing their tactics. At the UN, Ambassador Nikki Haley sent a warning to Russia and last night a statement said Israel's building of settlements "may not be helpful." Quite the change...oh and the president is Twitter brawling with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bannon and Priebus Meet With Australian Ambassador After Refugee Flap

The Australian ambassador to the United States met with Donald Trump's chief of staff, Reince Priebus and chief strategist, Steve Bannon, at the White House today, after the president criticized a refugee resettlement agreement between the United States and Australia. In a statement, a White House official said the meeting with Ambassador Joe Hockey was "productive." "They conveyed the President's deep admiration for the Australian people," the official said. ABC's BENJAMIN SIEGEL has more. http://abcn.ws/2kvwLqY

Trump White House Preparing New Sanctions on Iran, Officials Say

Senior White House administration officials told ABC News Thursday that new sanctions on Iran are "in the works" and could come "as soon as tomorrow." The sanctions are President Donald Trump's administration's response to Iran's ballistic missile test on Sunday. Just Wednesday National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn said the White House was "officially putting Iran on notice." "The Trump administration condemns such actions by Iran that undermine security, prosperity, and stability throughout and beyond the Middle East and place Americans lives at risk," Flynn said. ABC's JONATHAN KARL, DEVIN DWYER and LISSETTE RODRIGUEZ have more. http://abcn.ws/2jJvpo7

Trump's Supreme Court Pick of Neil Gorsuch Sparks Criticism and Praise

The nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick to replace Justice Antonin Scalia sparked a fast and furious reaction from Democrats while Republicans and conservative groups heaped praise on him, rejecting the assertion from critics that he was extreme in his views. ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY has more on the reactions to Gorsuch: http://abcn.ws/2jtcKSc

Trump's Unconfirmed Nominees More Than All Presidents Combined at 2-Week Mark

President Trump has 11 unconfirmed Cabinet nominees. That's more unconfirmed nominees two weeks into a tenure than all previous presidents combined, according to an ABC News review of data from the Congressional Research Service by ABC's RYAN STRUYK. http://abcn.ws/2jCTJgf

This Week on 'This Week'

After President Trump's second full week in office, George Stephanopoulos goes one-on-one with Vice President Mike Pence, on "This Week" Sunday. And the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, Republican strategist and CNBC contributor Sara Fagen, and former communications director for Hillary for America Jennifer Palmieri.