New White House strategy: Deny collusion, attack Cohen, hope Trump stays cool
Tuesday evening brought a deluge of brutal news for President Trump — his campaign chairman and longtime lawyer both became convicts, and the lawyer, Michael Cohen, implicated Trump in a federal crime, among other events. But until early Thursday morning, Trump seemed relatively calm, and "the White House morphed into the uneasy eye of a political hurricane, testing Trump with each block of cable television," The Washington Post reports, citing three advisers.
"The mood inside the White House was grim," The New York Times adds. "But there remained a pervasive belief, rightly or wrongly, that things have looked this bad before." Still, advisers "admitted they had no strategy for countering the news" about Cohen's fingering Trump and no plan "to put a spin on the conviction of Paul Manafort."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Earlier, Trump's "relative calm — contrasted with his more typical lashing out when he is anxious — unnerved some of his aides," the Times reports, and friends "pointed out that he has never been as cornered — or as isolated — as he is right now, and that he is at his most dangerous when he feels backed against the wall." The Post heard similar concerns: "Several Trump allies said that the president's relative calm on Wednesday was something that would probably pass soon — and they are worried about what the next stage could mean for him and Republicans."
-
The best art exhibitions to book in 2026The Week Recommends Our pick of the shows to see across the UK, from epoch-defining embroidery to fresh looks at under-appreciated artists
-
What is the Donroe Doctrine?The Explainer Donald Trump has taken a 19th century US foreign policy and turbocharged it
-
Could a part-and-part mortgage help you on to the property ladder?Combining repayment and interest-only mortgages could become more popular as part of a push towards more flexible lending
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
