Not even a well-done steak could appease President Trump as he reportedly spent the weekend fuming over the leaks and allegations plaguing his administration.
This portrait of the president's weekend comes from The Washington Post, which spoke with 17 top White House officials, members of Congress, and friends of the president, some of whom described a commander in chief made paranoid by the information being fed to him and the conclusions he was drawing. On Wednesday, Trump was riding high off his well-received speech the night before, but that was quickly overshadowed by the Post's report that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with the Russian ambassador during Trump's presidential campaign, despite telling Congress otherwise during his confirmation hearing. Aides said Trump was livid when Sessions agreed to recuse himself from any investigations regarding Trump and Russia, believing Sessions was giving in to the media and critics, and also angry that former campaign adviser Carter Page was giving television interviews despite the fact that he was no longer part of his team.
Meanwhile, White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon was telling Trump that "the 'deep state' is a direct threat to his presidency," the Post reports, and by the time Saturday morning rolled around, ensconced yet again at his private club in Florida, Trump surprised all of his aides by tweeting unfounded claims that former President Barack Obama tapped his phones last year. Conservative media mogul Christopher Ruddy, a longtime friend of Trump's and Mar-a-Lago member, told the Post that Trump ran into him on Saturday, and said he will be "proven right" about the allegations. "He was pissed," Ruddy said. "I haven't seen him this angry."
Trump's spirits were momentarily lifted when he saw that the Sunday newspapers were dominated by his Twitter claims, but he became mad all over again when few Republicans defended him on the morning talk shows, the Post says. Read more about Trump's woe-filled weekend — and his belief that his presidency is "being tormented in ways known and unknown" by everyone from intelligence figures to members of the media — at The Washington Post.