Trump aides are reportedly concerned about his impeachment response

Some of President Trump's aides reportedly fear he's already getting off on the wrong foot with his impeachment response.

The president, according to a new CNN report, has been dismissing the idea of forming a separate team to fight impeachment, as he's "confident in his own ability to counter-message Democrats." But despite Trump's confidence, there's reportedly "growing concern among the President's allies that he doesn't understand the implications of what lies ahead or how quickly it's moving."

Even beyond that, though, some in the White House reportedly see the past six days since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the opening of an official impeachment inquiry as a "lost opportunity to shape public opinion at the outset of the inquiry," CNN writes. So far, the pushback has primarily come from Trump himself, Trump allies in Congress, and Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

With Giuliani, in particular, CNN reports White House officials are quite frustrated with him amid his odd TV appearances and at this point have just "decided to sit back and let him go on television until he burns himself out," at which point he can be swapped out for Trump allies "who are better equipped." Trump's resistance to a separate impeachment team evidently means former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski being brought on, as was reported last week, is now unlikely, with Trump thinking talk of bringing back aides "projected weakness."

Some of Trump's early impeachment response has included rage-tweets floating the idea that House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) should be arrested for treason and that impeaching him would create a "Civil War like fracture," the latter of which was condemned by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) as "beyond repugnant."