Report: WH Staff Was Unprepared For Trump’s Surprise Opioid Announcement

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In this Sept. 12, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. The Trump administration is poised to extend sanctions relief to Iran under the landmark 2015 nuclear... In this Sept. 12, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. The Trump administration is poised to extend sanctions relief to Iran under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal even as the White House seeks ways to find the Islamic republic is not complying with the agreement. Administration officials say President Donald Trump is likely to extend sanctions waivers first issued by the Obama administration by a Sept. 14, deadline. However, they say Trump remains determined to “decertify” Iranian compliance by an October deadline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) MORE LESS
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An impromptu remark from President Donald Trump on Monday that he would make an announcement next week declaring the opioid crisis a national emergency sent staff at the White House scrambling, as they were unprepared for such a move, Politico reported Friday morning, citing White House and agency officials.

“We are going to have a major announcement, probably next week, on the drug crisis and on the opioid massive problem and I want to get that absolutely right,” Trump said on Monday.

Staffers were “blindsided” by the comments, according to Politico. Administration staff had yet to agree on the process for implementing an emergency declaration, White House and agency officials told Politico. Administration officials told Politico that it’s also not clear when the emergency declaration could actually be announced or whether the administration even has the right staff in place.

Read Politico’s full report here.

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Notable Replies

  1. It has been 9 months, they should not longer be surprised and can’t be prepared.

  2. Any stray thought, Fox’s Five saying something, screaming meemies in that empty head and voila! A new announcement!

    Jeesh, what a moron!

  3. Donnie says his administration runs like a fine tuned machine. Bwahahahahaha! What a load of crap!!

  4. Avatar for jtx jtx says:

    Just another look at me moment. Whatever plan he magically comes up with will not work. Will he

    1. Jail the user.
    2. Blame Puerto Rico
    3. Deport Americans.
    4. Declare Congress annulled.
    5. Declare that he is King Trump.
  5. Trump has the weekend to fix the Opiod crisis. An hour away from golfing should be sufficient.

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