An upbeat Trump returns to Washington as White House aides reportedly prepare for a 'grim' 2018

Trump returns to Washington
(Image credit: Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images)

President Trump returned to Washington on Monday in an upbeat mood, Politico says, well-rested after 10 days at his members-only club in Florida, with a big legislative win under his belt — tax reform — as well as historically low approval ratings and historically high White House turnover.

But it's the coming "brain drain" among senior White House officials that "has generated a sense of foreboding among White House aides," and that's just part of their "grim reality of 2018," Politico reports, citing interviews with "more than a dozen current and former officials and outside advisers." The White House is also dealing with the "shadow of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation" and slim hopes for any more big legislation, with Republicans facing stiff headwinds before the 2018 midterms and a slimmer 51-49 margin in the Senate. White House officials blame the difficulty in recruiting top new talent on the Mueller investigation.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.