Trump test: The president’s first 100 days

Thu, Apr 27, 2017 (2 a.m.)

We’re coming up fast on Donald Trump’s 100th day as president. I know, I know, it seems like longer. But a lot has definitely happened. So here’s Part I of the Trump 100-Day Quiz. Today: friends, family and assorted appointees.

1. Trump said the people he nominated for the highest posts in his government had …

A. “Better things to do, but they’re coming anyway.”

B. “By far the highest IQ of any Cabinet ever assembled.”

C. “An average golf score of 72.”

2. After Rick Perry accepted the nomination to be secretary of energy, he was surprised to learn …

A. It wasn’t the place he forgot during that debate “oops” moment.

B. The job comes with a secretary.

C. What the Department of Energy does.

3. Attorney General Jeff Sessions referred to Hawaii as …

A. “An island in the Pacific.”

B. “That little thingie in the ocean.”

C. “My favorite state after Alabama.”

4. One of the early stars of the Trump team was Kellyanne Conway. She once complained to CNN’s Chris Cuomo that he wasn’t being fair to her boss: “You always want to go by …

A. “The rules.”

B. “His actions.”

C. “What’s come out of his mouth rather than look at what’s in his heart.”

5. Press secretary Sean Spicer rejected a Times report that the president sometimes explores the White House at night, when he’s not talking on the phone with old advisers or “watching television in his bathrobe.” Spicer retorted:

A. “The president spends his spare time reading books. Very big books. Books with many, many pages.”

B. “I don’t think the president owns a bathrobe.”

C. “Look, he never leaves his room after dark.”

6. Sarah Palin, a Trump campaign supporter, got an invitation to dine at the White House. She brought along faded singers Kid Rock and Ted Nugent. Nugent told the Times’ Glenn Thrush that the president entertained the trio for four hours and that they talked about a number of topics including …

A. Foreign affairs.

B. Hair styles.

C. Comparative crowd sizes.

7. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn only lasted a month before he was fired for failing to disclose he’d talked with the Russian ambassador about sanctions during the transition. Flynn later filed paperwork to acknowledge that while he was working for the Trump campaign he was also …

A. Working as an agent for the Turkish government.

B. Working as an agent for Ted Nugent.

C. Working on his résumé.

8. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson embarked on a “listening tour” around the country. A high point came in Miami, where Carson …

A. Took a week off to go to the beach.

B. Got stuck in a housing project elevator.

C. Kept pointing out that he never claimed to know anything about the federal government.

9. Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, used to be head of Exxon Mobil. In that capacity, he once shared his outlook on battling climate change:

A. “Change is good.”

B. “Who cares about a few stupid polar bears?”

C. “What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?”

10. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said guns in schools might be necessary …

A. “For show and tell.”

B. “To keep order in the classroom.”

C. “To protect from potential grizzlies.”

ANSWERS: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A, 4-C, 5-B, 6-A, 7-A, 8-B, 9-C, 10-C

Gail Collins is a columnist for The New York Times.

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