Donald Trump signed executive orders on Friday, but one key moment suggested the president had no idea what was in the papers he was about to sign.
Trump was seated in the Oval Office, preparing to sign the orders impacting the nuclear energy industry, when he invited business leaders in attendance to say a few words.
The first person to speak was Joseph Dominquez, the president and CEO of Constellation.
Dominquez brought up how the industry has faced regulatory delays. He complained they are spending too much time on permitting.
That’s when Trump turned in his seat and asked Dominquez a question about what was in his executive order.
“Are we doing something about the regulatory in here?” Trump asked, nodding to the executive order sitting on the desk in front of him.
Several business leaders standing around him were quick to chime in that his order did address the regulations while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also responded, “You are, sir.”
Trump has regularly hosted gatherings in the Oval Office to sign executive orders since taking office, where his team explains what is in each bill as they hand them over for his signature.
However, it was a telling moment that suggested the president had not read the order on Friday in advance, prompting the business executive at the White House to quickly step in and explain.
Dominquez addressed the reporters and cameras directly while acknowledging the order targets regulation.
“That issue I just described will be addressed in this EO, and many other issues that we don’t have time with the president to cover,” Dominquez said, gesturing to the order on the desk.
Trump followed up to ask if he would say they’ve “contemplated just about everything, right?”
Dominquez went on to praise the president’s creation of a National Energy Dominance Council, which was included in an executive order signed in February.
Trump praised the nuclear industry as a “hot industry. It’s a brilliant industry. You have to do it right.”
Later in the event, White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf went through and explained each of the orders to Trump as he went through and signed them just has he has done in other EO signing ceremonies.
In total, the president signed four executive orders aimed at easing regulations and expanding nuclear energy production.
The post Businessman Has to Tell Trump What’s in the Order He’s Signing appeared first on The Daily Beast.
