News analysis

White House stabilisers gone, Trump calling his own shots

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PALM BEACH (Florida) • Fourteen months into the job, US President Donald Trump is increasingly defiant and singularly directing his administration with the same rapid and brutal style that he honed leading his real estate and branding empire.

He is making hasty decisions that jolt markets and shock leaders and experts - including those on his own staff. Some confidants have expressed concern about the situation, while others, unworried, characterise him as unleashed.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 02, 2018, with the headline White House stabilisers gone, Trump calling his own shots. Subscribe