National Economic Council Is Success Story of Trump White House

An untold, but significant story of President Donald Trump's White House has been the sharp contrast between the National Economic Council and the National Security Council.

The National Security Council has been nothing but trouble. It has churned through a series of national security advisers — Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster, John Bolton, and now Robert O'Brien. On their watch President Trump did follow through on some campaign promises — moving the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. He's won the return of some Americans who had been held overseas. But progress on other items — a nuclear deal with North Korea, a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs, extrication of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Syria — has been slow, complicated, or nonexistent. The National Security Council even arguably is at least partially to blame for getting Trump mired in the House impeachment inquiry, with its staff reaction to the president's dealings with Ukraine.