Blitz

Donald Trump's return to Washington has been defined largely by bombarding the country with a dizzying amount of brash actions and rhetoric that opponents admit is exhausting.

"He’s throwing a lot of things at us at once. Lots of executive orders and lots of changes," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the minority whip, told USA TODAY. "Some of them are confusing, chaotic. I don't think…we are going to keep up with it."

Whether it is pardoning violent Jan. 6 defendants; firing inspectors general; revoking security detail for past critics; looking to end birthright citizenship; investigating media outlets; or having Dr. Phil join televised raids apprehending undocumented immigrants, the so-called "flood the zone" strategy, popularized in the first administration by former chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, has returned.

What's different, experts say, is the rapid fire appears to have striking accuracy even as some actions − such as freezing federal grant funding − cause heartburn for friends and foes alike.

"As chaotic as it's been in the first few weeks, Trump 2.0 came in with a much better understanding of the federal government, and a team dedicated to helping him get his wins, including members of Congress," said Casey Burgat, director of the legislative affairs program at the George Washington University Graduate School of Management.

"It's clear that many of the Trump 1.0 folks stuck around D.C. and have been gearing up for a second Trump term."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

USA Today