Exclusive: Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life
By Stephen J. Adler, Jeff Mason and Steve Holland | WASHINGTON

He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.

President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.

"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

A wealthy businessman from New York, Trump assumed public office for the first time when he entered the White House on Jan. 20 after he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an upset.

More than five months after his victory and two days shy of the 100-day mark of his presidency, the election is still on Trump's mind. Midway through a discussion about Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president paused to hand out copies of what he said were the latest figures from the 2016 electoral map.

"Here, you can take that, that's the final map of the numbers," the Republican president said from his desk in the Oval Office, handing out maps of the United States with areas he won marked in red. "It’s pretty good, right? The red is obviously us."

He had copies for each of the three Reuters reporters in the room.

Trump, who said he was accustomed to not having privacy in his "old life," expressed surprise at how little he had now. And he made clear he was still getting used to having 24-hour Secret Service protection and its accompanying constraints.

"You're really into your own little cocoon, because you have such massive protection that you really can't go anywhere," he said.

When the president leaves the White House, it is usually in a limousine or an SUV.

He said he missed being behind the wheel himself.

"I like to drive," he said. "I can't drive any more."

Many things about Trump have not changed from the wheeler-dealer executive and former celebrity reality show host who ran his empire from the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York and worked the phones incessantly.

He frequently turns to outside friends and former business colleagues for advice and positive reinforcement. Senior aides say they are resigned to it.

The president has been at loggerheads with many news organizations since his election campaign and decided not to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday because he felt he had been treated unfairly by the media.

"I would come next year, absolutely," Trump said when asked whether he would attend in the future.

The dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents' Association. Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason is its president.



(Writing by Jeff Mason; Editing by Kieran Murray and Howard Goller)

olureignforever:
Which kain op be this na?

Blue3k:
It's always easier than it looks. I doubt he'll attend next year's dinner.

orunto27:
In ordinary business, you manage humans and materials. In governance, you manage humans and their spirits. The difference is in material and spirit.

MZLady39:
See that is why...(regardless of some policies that I may not agree with)....I can respect this man as a person and as my president.
He is who he is....straight-forward.
He could've easily gone in the direction of pride...but it seems he was extremely humble in his answer.
As Christians, we are called to pray for our leaders.

davidif:


Where was all this humility during the campaign when he was saying "only i can fix it" where was the humility when he was criticizing Obama while he was in office?

MZLady39:


Well brother,
You are correct.
I really try to avoid politics..because it's a touchy subject (just like "religion"..however I choose to speak about religion out of the two).
I haven't ever gone into the "Foreign Affairs" room here in NL for a few reasons.
I have a lot to say...but think it's best to keep quiet in that area.
President Trump did NOT show humility during the campaign at all. He absolutely displayed disgusting behavior towards my former president Obama. It was one of the most divisive and ugly campaigns that I've ever been alive to witness.
I don't condone that behavior from anyone.
However, unless I'm moving to a foreign country, the U.S. is where I have lived my entire life...and am still here.
He is my president for the next 4 years....so I accept it. There's no need to be bitter, complain or protest. I'm not for that.
As I said, there's lots of areas of his presidency that I disagree with BUT, I'm gonna still respect his office and continue to pray for him as I would anyone else