THEY KNOW HIM BEST:

All White Houses leak. Sometimes the leaks are big, sometimes small. But there are always people willing to talk to reporters about the "real" story or about why the chief executive made a mistake in regard to some decision he made.

That said, I've never seen so much leaking so quickly - and with such disdain for the president - as I have in the first six days of Donald Trump's presidency. [...]

Time and again, the image of Trump pushed by his "aides" is one of a clueless child - someone who acts on impulse, disregarding the better advice of people who know better. We know he needs to be managed or else he will say and do stupid things, the message seems to be. We're working on it.

And what we know about Trump from his presidential campaign is that some of his top staffers - most notably Kellyanne Conway - often communicated to the boss via the media. What that strategy suggests is that Trump is influenced at least as much - and, in truth, likely more - by reading the sniping of his aides on background (meaning without their names attached) in the news than he is by private conversations. That the best way to reach him, change his mind or otherwise bend his ear is through a public airing of grievances.

Trump has shown that his tendency to obsessively consume media - especially cable television - is unchanged in the six days since he has become president. He appears to be making policy decisions via things he watches or reads. (Remember Trump's famous/infamous statement that he got his military information and advice "mostly from the shows.")

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