海角大神

At heart of Washington drama, a presidential odd couple

In the short period since they first met in person 鈥� three days after the election 鈥� Trump and Obama have gone through a dizzying ride of ups and downs, leading to the unsubstantiated allegations of wiretapping.

They are, perhaps, the ultimate odd couple in American politics. Republican and Democrat, white and black, one drama-prone, the other chill.

Of course, they aren鈥檛 really a couple. But as the current and immediate past president of the United States, Donald Trump and Barack Obama are joined at the hip by history. President Trump鈥檚 performance is being judged, foremost, against that of his predecessor. And in the short period since they first met in person 鈥� three days after the election 鈥� they have gone through a dizzying ride of ups and downs.

The most bizarre moment of all came Saturday, with Mr. Trump鈥檚 eye-popping 鈥� and unsubstantiated 鈥� tweet-storm alleging that President Obama wiretapped Trump鈥檚 office during the 2016 campaign. Mr. Obama and members of his administration have denied the charge.

鈥淩eally, the relationship between these two men could fill a book 鈥� especially on Trump's end,鈥� writes Aaron Blake in The Washington Post's political blog The Fix. 鈥淔rom its earliest days, Trump seems to have been torn between respect for Obama and a desire to accuse him of high crimes using dubious information.

鈥淥bama's posture toward Trump, meanwhile, has been steadier 鈥� a kind of diplomatic tolerance, with the occasional jabs (when he deemed them to be appropriate),鈥� Mr. Blake adds.

Most former presidents lay off their successors, though there are exceptions. More unusual is today鈥檚 scenario, with a new president claiming conspiratorial behavior by his predecessor.

鈥淗istorically, presidents rarely attack their predecessors,鈥� says historian David Pietrusza. 鈥淲oodrow Wilson responded to Theodore Roosevelt's jibes by musing, 鈥楾he only way to treat an adversary like Roosevelt is to gaze at the stars over his head.鈥欌��

鈥淏asically, hitting back at an ex-president is punching down, and that's never a sound strategy for any politician,鈥� says Mr. Pietrusza, an author of six books whose primary focus is presidential history. 鈥淏ut Donald Trump doesn't play by normal rules 鈥� or, maybe, by any rules at all. So it's nothing for him to punch downward or backward or sideways.鈥�

Blake provides of the Trump-Obama 鈥渞elationship鈥� over the years. An analysis of the timeline suggests that Trump has used Obama as a foil, a character against whom to position himself. Trump tears him down, builds him up, then tears him down again, sometimes in a matter of days or within the same interview.

鈥淭rump鈥檚 the kind of guy who can blow hot and cold,鈥� says veteran Democratic strategist Peter Fenn. 鈥淥ne minute he鈥檚 giving you a great big hug, the next minute you鈥檙e fired.鈥�

Add to the mix the fact that Obama lives and works in Washington, which may be an irritant to Trump. Obama has maintained a low public profile, but has put out statements on a few occasions 鈥� to register his objection to Trump鈥檚 first 鈥渢ravel ban,鈥� and then to deny that he had wiretapped Trump.

Contrasting job approvals

During his final stretch in office, Obama enjoyed high marks from the public, departing the White House with a 57 percent job approval. Trump, in contrast, took office with historically low ratings, which remain in the mid-40s. Perhaps, in opining a month ago that Obama liked him, Trump was hoping to improve his own image.

But that period of professed good feeling didn鈥檛 last long. By the end of February, Trump was accusing Obama of fueling protests against the new president. And now, Trump is charging Obama with engaging in a 鈥淣ixon/Watergate鈥�-level conspiracy against him. On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer asserted 鈥渟ubstantial reporting鈥� to warrant congressional investigation of the alleged wiretapping, but did not offer specifics.

The timeline of the Trump-Obama relationship depicts two larger-than-life men. Though Trump was largely complimentary of Obama during the latter's days as a likely presidential hopeful and into his early presidency, that all ended in March 2011 when Trump began to push 鈥渂irtherism,鈥� the false claim that Obama may not have been born in the United States. Probably not coincidentally, Trump was thinking of running for president in 2012.

When Obama released his long-form birth certificate in April 2011, Trump did not relent, and only acknowledged Obama鈥檚 American birth last September.

Obama, too, has taken his shots at Trump over the years. In 2008, he called out Trump as a wealthy person who can file for bankruptcy to fix his finances. At the 2011 White House Correspondents鈥� Dinner, Obama mocked Trump as the billionaire/reality-TV star sat in the audience.

鈥淣ow I think he wonders whether he did the right thing, picking on him at the correspondents鈥� dinner,鈥� says Mr. Fenn.

In the heat of the 2016 campaign, Obama was unsparing in his disdain for Trump, calling him 鈥渦nfit鈥� for the presidency. Likewise, Trump slammed Obama repeatedly as a 鈥渇ailure.鈥�

An exclusive club

Post-election, the gloves went back on, and Obama assured Trump a smooth transition. After their first-ever meeting, a 90-minute session three days after the election, Trump called Obama 鈥渁 very good man鈥� and spoke of the 鈥渃hemistry鈥� between them. Obama told Trump, 鈥淚f you succeed, the country succeeds.鈥�

Such sentiments are typical of the exclusive club known as the American presidency. Indeed, the two Presidents Bush were famously cordial to their successors; Bush Senior and President Clinton developed an especially warm friendship.聽

Since the election, Trump and Obama have spoken numerous times, according to Trump aides. There were good reasons for Obama to maintain an open line of communication to his successor: A smooth transition would reflect well on Obama, particularly in handing over the keys to a man who had never held public office. It鈥檚 also in Obama鈥檚 interest for Trump to understand the rationale for his policies, and encourage continuity. On foreign policy, in particular, Trump with many Obama positions. In the domestic arena, Trump has expressed interest in keeping key elements of the Affordable Care Act even as he transitions away from the law.

Now all bets are off. Trump鈥檚 policy choices are one thing, but any kind of good working relationship between Trump and Obama seems off the table. And where the wiretapping allegations go is anyone鈥檚 guess.