In a revealing incident that highlights the former president's impulsive communication style, senior officials within Donald Trump's MAGA circle had to physically intervene to stop him from announcing a major policy shift on his social media platform, Truth Social. The policy in question was the significant move to reclassify marijuana at the federal level.
The Oval Office Intervention
The dramatic moment unfolded towards the end of a two-hour meeting in the Oval Office, which took place approximately two weeks before the formal announcement. The meeting included various stakeholders debating the future of cannabis classification in the United States. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, after hearing arguments, President Trump abruptly sided with the pro-cannabis group present.
Sheriff Gordon Smith of Florida, who had lobbied for the reclassification and was in attendance, recalled the scene. He stated that Trump "started preparing a Truth Social post on his decision" immediately after making up his mind. This prompted swift action from key aides, who feared the premature disclosure of a sensitive government decision.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, and domestic policy aide Heidi Overton were among those who objected. Their concern was that such a major announcement required proper procedure and could not be made impulsively on a social media platform. One attendee was reportedly "in awe of the president’s eagerness to post about a decision he’d made only seconds earlier."
The Push for Policy Change
The effort to downgrade cannabis from the restrictive Schedule I to the less stringent Schedule III was not a sudden development. It was spearheaded by Trump ally Howard Kessler and Kim Rivers, the chief executive of the major cannabis company Trulieve.
Rivers had made substantial donations in the previous year to groups supporting Trump's presidential campaign. This lobbying effort was aimed at persuading the former president of the benefits of rescheduling marijuana, with a particular emphasis on freeing the path for more extensive medical research into the plant's properties.
The Path to a Formal Order
Following the intervention in the Oval Office, lawyers and staff members pointed out a crucial regulatory step. They informed President Trump that a mandatory 30-day review period was required before any formal announcement could be made to the public. This cooling-off period is standard for such administrative changes.
Heeding this advice, Trump then directed his aides to draft an official executive order to enact the policy change. The process culminated on December 18, when the former president signed the executive order, setting in motion the historic reclassification of marijuana under federal law.
This episode provides a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of modern political communication, policy-making, and the personal influence of key advisors. It underscores how traditional governmental processes sometimes clash with the instant-gratification nature of social media, even at the highest levels of power.
