Donald Trump gives himself 'A+' for effort but a 'C' for communication as president

President Donald Trump has said he would award himself an “A+” for effort but a “C” for getting his message across.

“In terms of messaging, I would give myself a C or a C plus,” Mr Trump told Fox & Friends.

“Because I think I’ve done great things, but I don’t think I have — I and my people, I don’t think we’ve explained it well enough to the American public."

In a rare show of self-criticism, Trump told the Fox & Friends television programme in an interview broadcast on Tuesday that "maybe it's my fault" the administration's goals on immigration may not have been communicated effectively.

He was referring to the troubled rollout of his Jan 27 order to temporarily ban people from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the country.

Invited to say how he would change the messaging, the businessman and former reality TV star said: "Maybe I change it during the speech," he said referring to his address to Congress later on Tuesday.

“I think in terms of effort, which means something but I give myself an A plus, OK, effort. But that’s, you know, results are more important,” he said.

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“In terms of achievement, I think I’d give myself an A,” he said. “I think I get an A in terms of what I’ve actually done, but in terms of messaging, I’d give myself a C or a C plus.”

Mr Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders, pulled the United States out of a Pacific trade deal and nominated a conservative judge, Neil Gorsuch, to fill a vacant position on the Supreme Court. 

But his first month has been characterised by missteps, internal dramas and acrimonious disputes with the news media, and he has yet to score any legislative accomplishments.

The president's party controls both the House and Senate, giving him a chance to reshape the economy with lawmakers. He faces a host of questions going into his first speech before a joint session of Congress.

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