Inside Trump’s first week back in the White House: Bright moods and simmering tensions

A familiarity with the gears of government helped Trump’s team move with much more speed and sweep in their first week than they did eight years ago.

It was as if he’d never left. The Oval Office that President Donald Trump begrudgingly departed four years ago was reassembled in almost identical fashion over the course of a few hours Monday, right down to the cream wool rug with the olive branch border, designed by Nancy Reagan for her husband. The wooden box with a red button, used to summon a valet for a Diet Coke, was back on the desk. A portrait of President Andrew Jackson — albeit a different painting — was back on the wall. The sole reminder of the man who beat him four years ago was a letter in his top drawer, which Trump seemed to forget about until he was reminded to look by a reporter. A deep familiarity with the trappings of the West Wing and the Executive Residence helped keep the president in a good mood all week, several people who spoke with him said, a sentiment that came alive in one appearance after another. “Oh, what a great feeling,” Trump said of his return to the Oval Office, basking in the grandeur of one of the world’s most powerful rooms. “One of the better feelings I’ve ever had.” A familiarity with the gears of government also helped Trump’s team move with much more speed and sweep in their first week than they did eight years ago, issuing a blizzard of executive actions and reaching down into agencies across Washington to put his agenda and personnel plans in place.