Trump’s mail voting crackdown tests Postal Service leader who says he’s ‘not political’

David Steiner, the head of the U.S. Postal Service, has faced criticism for implementing a mail ballot rule imposed by President Donald Trump. Steiner, who has no direct political experience, was a corporate executive when he first encountered Trump's reality show "The Apprentice." In 2007, Steiner harshly criticized Trump's leadership, stating, "If that is leadership, if that’s what we’re telling people that our culture and our media portrays as leadership, we're screwed."

Now, Trump has tasked the USPS with overseeing mail ballots, prompting Steiner to finalize the rule despite the Supreme Court rejecting the order. Steiner maintains his independence as an agency within the executive branch, rejecting accusations of being a "Trump lackey" or a "pawn."