Who's got Trump's ear at the White House? Exactly who you thought. Politico has done some digging despite the White House's refusal to disclose its visitor logs:
The people who have met with Donald Trump since he became president tend to have a lot in common, according to a database POLITICO compiled from public documents, media accounts and its own reporting: They’re mostly male, largely Republican and often rich.
Of the more than 1,200 people who have had direct access to the president as of Monday night, the majority — about 80 percent — are white. And almost 63 percent are white men.
Trump has huddled with at least 270 business executives and nearly 350 politicians — mainly Republicans but also dozens of Democrats.
Let's just say it's not a surprise that Trump's audience has been 80 percent white, 79 percent male, and 63 percent white male.
One data point that is perhaps surprising is which of Trump’s cabinet members have dominated his time. In descending order: Sec. of State Rex Tillerson, 22 interactions; Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross, 16 interactions; Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin, 13 interactions; National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, 11 interactions; Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao, 9 interactions; Homeland Security Sec. John Kelly, 8 interactions.
Other cabinet members were said to have spent "little time" with Trump. Fascinating. Where's Health and Human Services Sec. Tom Price, supposedly in charge of Trumpcare? No interest in the details, Don? And why all the meetings with Tillerson, who runs a State Department that Trump’s White House has methodically drained of resources and personnel? Of course, Tillerson likely still has more Russians in his rolodex than probably any other agency head. Ross, second on Trump's favorites list, is perhaps the second-most well connected to Russia of Trump's agency heads (that’s admittedly speculative on my part). The fact that Ross and Mnuchin clocked in second and third suggests Trump has a lot more interest in business dealings and tax cuts than whether or not people have health care.