Maggie Haberman, the New York Times reporter widely known as the "Trump Whisperer," identified two things that she said will always control the actions of President-elect Donald Trump: television and the stock market.
In a Times piece she co-authored with Jonathan Swan, Trump was painted as being in his element when ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday after being named the TIME "Person of the Year."
"Mr. Trump’s fear of falling markets and bad imagery on TV may serve as more formidable checks on some of his more aggressive policies, like mass deportations and sweeping tariffs on trade with China, than any institutional restraints he may face in Washington," the report said.
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The reporters spoke with over a dozen people close to Trump, who said the stock market is a barometer of his success.
Meanwhile, those close to Trump say that "he is so obsessed with how he comes across on television that a barrage of negative coverage can make him hesitate, or even reverse course."
For example, Trump has been thinking about pulling Pete Hegseth's name to lead the Department of Defense because it would make for a "big story," said one person in on the discussions last week.
And Trump's tariff promises may never happen if the market wobbles, the report said. "So, many people on Wall Street regard those threats as a bargaining chip."
The writers noted that, in his first term, the "adults in the room" monitored Trump and curbed his worst instincts.
