Last week was a whirlwind for your NAW GR Team. First, NAW hosted our annual Executive Summit in Washington D.C. It was great to see the 400+ members who came to town and participated in an amazing event. I want to thank all those members I had a chance to talk with. Getting to know your companies, the passion you have for your culture and customers, and how policy impacts you and your workers was my highlight. It’s also fun to talk politics and get your thoughts on the issues we face today, thank you.

While we were “summitting”, President Donald Trump was moving at full speed in his second week in office. It seemed like a new policy or personnel announcement was issued every 10 minutes for the last two weeks, a reminder of the pace and purpose that Trump 2.0 brings to D.C. The speed and volume of decisions should surprise no one. Trump broadcasted his intentions over the last four years and enters his second term fully staffed with an agreed upon playbook. This is not a first term president, nor is it the exhausted and weakened second term team we often see. This has all the passion and bravado of a first term President, with the know-how and mandate of a second term. It’s also a reminder that keeping up with Trump’s disruptive bargaining style is exhausting and at times stretches the limits of my predisposed free-market mindset.