From my Bloomberg email, today: Donald Trump has given Joe Biden much-needed access to major U.S. government departments, including top-secret briefings. But he’s still laying landmines for the incoming president, and he has another two months to do so.
Trump’s daily schedule is often pretty bare. His legal challenges to his election loss are dwindling. He is spending time as usual at his golf course.
Even so, a series of administration actions suggest he’s trying to bake policies in before Biden formally takes over in January, making it harder for his successor to undo them.
That’s especially true in foreign policy, where Biden is set to change tack on a number of issues.
In recent weeks the U.S. has sanctioned Russian and Chinese companies for dealing with Iran, plus more Iranian officials, North Korean companies and others.
Trump officials plan further visits to Taiwan — a move sure to irk China. The White House is warning that more as-yet unspecified action against China is possible, after months of tit-for-tat penalties over trade, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
The biggest question remains Iran, as Biden may re-engage Tehran after Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump worked to build an alliance against Iran in the Middle East, something he worries Biden might unpick.
There are reports Israel told its military to prepare for a possible U.S. strike on Iran, though the potential for action is remote (it could struggle to gain support from the Pentagon, would make Saudi Arabia worry about being hit in retaliation, and Europe would be furious).
Yet there is a palpable sense of unease about Trump, and what a man with his tendency for impulsiveness might attempt before he leaves. — Rosalind Mathieson
The thing about an asshole like Trump is that you never make him feel like the asshole he really is.