One anonymous insider who frequently talks with Trump told Politico his aides are often afraid of saying no to him due to his notorious unwillingness to look bad.

“You can’t do it in front of everyone,” the insider said. “He’s never going to admit he’s wrong in front of everyone. You have to pull him aside and tell him why he’s wrong, and then you can get him to go along with you. These people don’t know how to get him to do what they need him to do.”

This insider also told Politico that Trump “gets bored and likes to watch TV,” so it’s important for his aides to check his tendency to respond impulsively when angered, as well as control what information reaches him and is taken seriously.

“The truth of the matter is he had a successful inauguration with a respectful crowd,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told Politico. “The transition of power went off without a hitch. His supporters were amiable by and large.”

Brinkley added, “But then he can never let go and stop watching cable TV. Now he’s off to the worst start of a presidency in a very long time.”

It appears that many members of Trump’s inner circle urged him to not give into his resentment about the media’s reporting of attendance at his inauguration, according to a Sunday report by The New York Times. This did not succeed, as Trump ultimately let resentment about inauguration coverage bleed into even unrelated priorities, like patching up his relationship with the intelligence communities, which prompted other members of Team Trump to try to spin away the president’s behavior.