Trump Has Attended Just 12 Daily Intelligence Briefings Since Taking Office

President Donald Trump has attended just 12 national Intelligence briefings since taking office this year, a stark contrast to his predecessor.

According to a Politico analysis, during his first term, Trump attended the President’s Daily Brief an average of two times each week, and former President Joe Biden attended a similar number.

As former intelligence officials have described, these meetings are crucial in communicating global national security challenges. The briefings are tailored for the president with Trump favoring visual presentation over wordy analysis.

Trump’s participation in the meetings has dwindled.

Between January and March, he received two in-person PDB briefings a month. According to his schedule provided by Roll Call, he has since increased it to one per week.

A New York Times report details alternative routes of communication Trump has seized to remain informed.

Presidents receive “the book,” which contains detailed information regarding national security issues, overseas operations, assessments on global crises and a general summary of the current state of the world. It is provided five days a week to the president.

Yet Trump is notoriously for not reading these assessments, suggesting a continuity in his act-first-ask-questions-later approach.

A White House spokesperson said: “The president is constantly apprised of classified briefings and is regularly in touch with his national security team. In real time, the intelligence community informs President Trump about critical national security developments.”

George W. Bush participated in in-person PDB meetings almost every day, while Barack Obama frequently read “the book.”

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Article by Amanda Morley