“I Hate Everyone in the White House!”: Trump Seethes as Advisers Fear

[GennGreymane]

“I Hate Everyone in the White House!”: Trump Seethes as Advisers Fear the President Is “Unraveling”

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017...e-advisers/amp

At first it sounded like hyperbole, the escalation of a Twitter war. But now it’s clear that Bob Corker’s remarkable New York Times interview—in which the Republican senator described the White House as “adult day care” and warned Trump could start World War III—was an inflection point in the Trump presidency. It brought into the open what several people close to the president have recently told me in private: that Trump is “unstable,” “losing a step,” and “unraveling.”

The conversation among some of the president’s longtime confidantes, along with the character of some of the leaks emerging from the White House has shifted. There’s a new level of concern. NBC News published a report that Trump shocked his national security team when he called for a nearly tenfold increase in the country’s nuclear arsenal during a briefing this summer. One Trump adviser confirmed to me it was after this meeting disbanded that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a “moron.”

In recent days, I spoke with a half dozen prominent Republicans and Trump advisers, and they all describe a White House in crisis as advisers struggle to contain a president who seems to be increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark moods. Trump’s ire is being fueled by his stalled legislative agenda and, to a surprising degree, by his decision last month to back the losing candidate Luther Strange in the Alabama Republican primary. “Alabama was a huge blow to his psyche,” a person close to Trump said. “He saw the cult of personality was broken.”

Video: When the President Asks for Your Resignation: Sally Yates and Preet Bharara

According to two sources familiar with the conversation, Trump vented to his longtime security chief, Keith Schiller, “I hate everyone in the White House! There are a few exceptions, but I hate them!” (A White House official denies this.) Two senior Republican officials said Chief of Staff John Kelly is miserable in his job and is remaining out of a sense of duty to keep Trump from making some sort of disastrous decision. Today, speculation about Kelly’s future increased after Politico reported that Kelly’s deputy Kirstjen Nielsen is likely to be named Homeland Security Secretary—the theory among some Republicans is that Kelly wanted to give her a soft landing before his departure.

One former official even speculated that Kelly and Secretary of Defense James Mattis have discussed what they would do in the event Trump ordered a nuclear first strike. “Would they tackle him?” the person said. Even Trump’s most loyal backers are sowing public doubts. This morning, The Washington Post quoted longtime Trump friend Tom Barrack saying he has been “shocked” and “stunned” by Trump’s behavior.

While Kelly can’t control Trump’s tweets, he is doing his best to physically sequester the president—much to Trump’s frustration. One major G.O.P. donor told me access to Trump has been cut off, and his outside calls to the White House switchboard aren’t put through to the Oval Office. Earlier this week, I reported on Kelly’s plans to prevent Trump from mingling with guests at Mar-a-Lago later this month. And, according to two sources, Keith Schiller quit last month after Kelly told Schiller he needed permission to speak to the president and wanted written reports of their conversations.

The White House denies these accounts. “The President’s mood is good and his outlook on the agenda is very positive,” an official said.

West Wing aides have also worried about Trump’s public appearances, one Trump adviser told me. The adviser said aides were relieved when Trump canceled his appearance on the season premiere of 60 Minutes last month. “He’s lost a step. They don’t want him doing adversarial TV interviews,” the adviser explained. Instead, Trump has sat down for friendly conversations with Sean Hannity and Mike Huckabee, whose daughter is Trump’s press secretary. (The White House official says the 60 Minutes interview is being rescheduled.)

Even before Corker’s remarks, some West Wing advisers were worried that Trump’s behavior could cause the Cabinet to take extraordinary Constitutional measures to remove him from office. Several months ago, according to two sources with knowledge of the conversation, former chief strategist Steve Bannon told Trump that the risk to his presidency wasn’t impeachment, but the 25th Amendment—the provision by which a majority of the Cabinet can vote to remove the president. When Bannon mentioned the 25th Amendment, Trump said, “What’s that?” According to a source, Bannon has told people he thinks Trump has only a 30 percent chance of making it the full term.

[callipygoustp]

I'm no fan of Trump but i hate seeing articles using unverified quotes, especially in the title. Finding non-sensationalist articles is almost impossible these days.

[Breccia]

I'm no fan of Trump but i hate seeing articles using unverified quotes, especially in the title.

A little skepticism is good.

But Trump has put himself into a position where people can write things like this, and it fits his proven words and actions so well, that people will assume the story is true -- even if it is not.

Trump just now got back from a campaign rally where he claimed that his tax plan would save the average American family $4,000 because of truckers. And the White House was unable to back up his number. And that's the best thing that's happened to him in weeks. It no longer matters if he's actually demented, actually a troll, or just flat-out overwhelmed by a job he's uniquely unqualified for by his own choice. He's being killed by the stress. I'd be surprised if he didn't say it, regardless of if he meant it or not.

And remember how months ago, when Trump dissed basically everyone in Washington, but especially the intelligence communities, and people said "well, here come those leaks"? And...that happened, and hasn't stopped, despite multiple Chiefs of Staff trying to clamp down? Plus Trump up and fired people who have friends, like Preibus and Bannon? Oh no, they got RoguePOTUSStaff, now they have nearly everyone else ratting them out as the incompetent, ill-suited, mismatched bunch of deplorables that some old-school military sacrificial lambs are trying desperately to keep together. And it's not working.

Feel free to question individual stories all you want. That's your right. Hell, this one might not even be true. But -- and yes, I say this with a shit-eating grin and a completely hypocritical bend -- it feels true, and feelings are more important than facts. And more importantly, Trump can't defend himself anymore, because his word is worthless.

Wolf.

Wolf.

Worgen.

[PACOX]

He is having a mental breakdown. Approval rating is down.

Half the NFL depises him in a stunt he thought would end up in his favor.

"Rocket Man" is as old as is sons and openly mocks/trolls him.

He cant pass anything of substance in Congress.

His staff talks trash about him behind is back.

Congressmen are starting to oppose him

His lies on twitter are being corrected by "fake news" at record pass with less and less people accepting his narratives

Largest turnover rate of any modern president

He is treated like a toddler by his chief of staff


Oh and with every passing day Mueller gets closer.

[Travis B]

“I Hate Everyone in the White House!”

I imagine he had a look similar to this as he was saying it:

[callipygoustp]

A little skepticism is good.

But Trump has put himself into a position where people can write things like this, and it fits his proven words and actions so well, that people will assume the story is true -- even if it is not.

Trump just now got back from a campaign rally where he claimed that his tax plan would save the average American family $4,000 because of truckers. And the White House was unable to back up his number. And that's the best thing that's happened to him in weeks. It no longer matters if he's actually demented, actually a troll, or just flat-out overwhelmed by a job he's uniquely unqualified for by his own choice. He's being killed by the stress. I'd be surprised if he didn't say it, regardless of if he meant it or not.

And remember how months ago, when Trump dissed basically everyone in Washington, but especially the intelligence communities, and people said "well, here come those leaks"? And...that happened, and hasn't stopped, despite multiple Chiefs of Staff trying to clamp down? Plus Trump up and fired people who have friends, like Preibus and Bannon? Oh no, they got RoguePOTUSStaff, now they have nearly everyone else ratting them out as the incompetent, ill-suited, mismatched bunch of deplorables that some old-school military sacrificial lambs are trying desperately to keep together. And it's not working.

Feel free to question individual stories all you want. That's your right. Hell, this one might not even be true. But -- and yes, I say this with a shit-eating grin and a completely hypocritical bend -- it feels true, and feelings are more important than facts. And more importantly, Trump can't defend himself anymore, because his word is worthless.

Wolf.

Wolf.

Worgen.

My comment had nothing to do with Trump. Trump is not the only one that suffers from this. Please, don't twist it into something else. My comment was/is pretty basic: I don't like sensationalist media.

With regards to the bolded part: yeah, thanks for giving me permission. Seriously, where the fuck do you patronizing people come from?

[PACOX]

My comment had nothing to do with Trump. Trump is not the only one that suffers from this. Please, don't twist it into something else. My comment was/is pretty basic: I don't like sensationalist media.

With regards to the bolded part: yeah, thanks for giving me permission. Seriously, where the fuck do you patronizing people come from?

Who pissed on your MAGA hat

[callipygoustp]

Who pissed on your MAGA hat

Heh, yeah, that's what its about.

[Paranoid Android]

25th Amendment

[lockedout]

He is having a mental breakdown. Approval rating is down.

It's actually up.

[Edge-]

It's actually up.

According to which poll?

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com...roval-ratings/
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/trum...ery-state.html
http://news.gallup.com/poll/201617/g...-approval.aspx

[Garnier Fructis]

According to which poll?

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com...roval-ratings/
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/trum...ery-state.html
http://news.gallup.com/poll/201617/g...-approval.aspx

Don't forget the other aggregate,
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ep...oval-6179.html
@lockedout It's better than it was... yesterday, but the day to day difference is basically just noise.

It's still worse than it was a week ago, two weeks ago, or even a month ago.

[Slant]

I'm no fan of Trump but i hate seeing articles using unverified quotes, especially in the title. Finding non-sensationalist articles is almost impossible these days.

The sources seem to be verified. Don't mix up "anonymous" with "no idea who that guy is, but I'll quote him anyway."

[callipygoustp]

The sources seem to be verified. Don't mix up "anonymous" with "no idea who that guy is, but I'll quote him anyway."

Don't worry. I wasn't. No reason to assume that I was.

[Slant]

Don't worry. I wasn't. No reason to assume that I was.

What reason do you have to believe their multiple sources are all unverified?

[callipygoustp]

What reason do you have to believe their multiple sources are all unverified?

Two sources for, one against.

[Mormolyce]

Trump’s ire is being fueled by his stalled legislative agenda and, to a surprising degree, by his decision last month to back the losing candidate Luther Strange in the Alabama Republican primary. “Alabama was a huge blow to his psyche,” a person close to Trump said. “He saw the cult of personality was broken.”

This part is interesting. Of all the things going on right now, this is one most people couldn't give two shits about.

Lends credibility because who would make up a detail like this? Sounds exactly like him, obsessing over something injurious to his irrational pride but otherwise utterly irrelevant.

- - - Updated - - -

It's actually up.

*Pants on fire*

[Edge-]

Sounds exactly like him, obsessing over something injurious to his irrational pride but otherwise utterly irrelevant.

His irrational pride is a national security interest, and you would do well to remember that.

: |

[Slant]

Two sources for, one against.

Ok, so you can count. But how does that make you think it's unverified?

[Breccia]

My comment had nothing to do with Trump.

And mine did. It's kind of the thread context.

- - - Updated - - -

It's actually up.

Try harder. Come on, I know you're neither stupid nor ill-informed.