It will ascertain how decisions are made, the processes leading up to them and the factors that influence a White House organization. But like most reporters, I found his tweets far more illuminating than anything the White House press office could ever disgorge. In 2013, I published a book called ‘‘This Town,’’ an anthropological snapshot of the gilded, inbred carnival of early-21st-century Washington. The ability to ascertain ‘‘what the White House is thinking’’ or ‘‘the president’s mind-set’’ once accounted for many hours (often billable) of analysis. Lobbyists and corporations live in fear of doing something that would agitate the White House, something that could incite a tweet and tank a stock.

Source: New York Times July 11, 2017 09:00 UTC