Five days of fury: Inside Trump's Paris temper, election woes and staff upheaval

[CatWoman]

As he jetted to Paris last Friday, President Trump received a congratulatory phone call aboard Air Force One. British Prime Minister Theresa May was calling to celebrate the Republican Party’s wins in the midterm elections — never mind that Democrats seized control of the House — but her appeal to the American president’s vanity was met with an ornery outburst.

Trump berated May for Great Britain not doing enough, in his assessment, to contain Iran. He questioned her over Brexit and complained about the trade deals he sees as unfair with European countries. May has endured Trump’s churlish temper before, but still her aides were shaken by his especially foul mood, according to U.S. and European officials briefed on the conversation.

For Trump, that testy call set the tone for five days of fury — evident in Trump’s splenetic tweets and described in interviews with 14 senior administration officials, outside Trump confidants and foreign diplomats, many of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.


During his 43-hour stay in Paris, Trump brooded over the Florida recount and sulked over other key races being called for Democrats in the midterm elections that he had claimed as a “big victory.” He erupted at his staff over media coverage of his decision to skip a ceremony honoring the military sacrifice of World War I.

The president also was angry and resentful over French President Emmanuel Macron’s public rebuke of rising nationalism, which Trump considered a personal attack. And that was after his difficult meeting with Macron, where officials said little progress was made as Trump again brought up his frustrations over trade and Iran.

“He’s just a bull carrying his own china shop with him when­ever he travels the world,” presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/five-days-of-fury-inside-trumps-paris-temper-election-woes-and-staff-upheaval/2018/11/13/e90b7cba-e69e-11e8-a939-9469f1166f9d_story.html?utm_term=.3085411f2ca3

[FSogol]

1. Amazing article, highly recommended. N/t

[NurseJackie]

9. Absolutely! It certainly is amazing!

[FakeNoose]

11. The comments to the WaPo article are hilarious and illuminating

Several Europeans are reading and participating in the comments section.
Not many are defending Cheato, in fact almost nobody is.

[central scrutinizer]

24. Yes!

"Pole Dancing Barbie is now making personnel decisions in the White House"

[Hermit-The-Prog]

26. i like this one

Coment on WaPo story:

Trump is like That One Guy at the cocktail party, who has had far, far, FAR too much to drink and is falling all over everyone, has urinated on himself and is unaware of it...but thinks he is the life of the party.

Trump. That Guy.

[FSogol]

37. Thanks for that tip, I went over about half the comments and only found 1 supporting Trumpy.

Other commenters called that supporter a Russian troll and he disappeared.

That's a clear change from most Tumpian articles. The bloom is off the turd blossom or something.

[GusBob]

2. Normally I love these gossipy stories

But this one is ugly and scary.

Jesus Christ someone get a hold of him

[CatWoman]

5. Also, I just read over at Politico that the judge isn't buying Trump's BS about why Acosta

was ejected from the WH Press Corps:

‘The government’s story keeps changing’: CNN seen as likely to prevail in White House fight

The White House’s shifting justifications for pulling Jim Acosta's press badge won’t help it in the coming legal fight.

President Donald Trump and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders often have the upper hand over CNN in the White House briefing room. But CNN has likely now claimed the advantage by moving the battle to the courtroom.

First Amendment lawyers say courts have a history of defending access for journalists, and the White House’s shifting justifications won’t help it in the coming legal fight over the decision to revoke correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass last week. CNN and Acosta filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to have his credentials restored, and a judge has scheduled the first hearing for Wednesday afternoon.

The CNN case is likely to hinge on that very issue: whether Judge Timothy J. Kelly, appointed by Trump in 2017, believes the White House’s claims that it did not strip Acosta of his pass because of objections to his coverage, but for other reasons that could be deemed permissible, such as security concerns.

Initially, Sanders accused Acosta of “placing his hands on” a White House aide during a press conference, though the contact appeared incidental on video replays. But Trump later stepped on that argument when he said the incident wasn’t “overly…horrible” and indicated that his real issue with Acosta was a lack of “respect” for the White House.

On Tuesday, in a statement responding to CNN’s suit, Sanders shifted focus again, saying the issue was that Acosta “physically refused to surrender a White House microphone to an intern, so that other reporters might ask their questions.” She added, “This was not the first time this reporter has inappropriately refused to yield to other reporters.”

“The White House cannot run an orderly and fair press conference when a reporter acts this way, which is neither appropriate nor professional,” she said.

The government has yet to file any official response to the lawsuit — per an order from Kelly, that is due at 11 a.m. Wednesday. But the shifting explanations for why Acosta lost his access could indicate to the judge that these explanations are covers for the true rationale — that the administration simply didn’t like his coverage or style, said Nathan Siegel, a First Amendment lawyer with Davis Wright Tremaine who previously served as in-house counsel for ABC.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/13/cnn-white-house-lawsuit-jim-acosta-988160

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. I don't believe this line:

Trump blamed his chief of staff’s office, and Fuentes in particular, for not counseling him that skipping the cemetery visit would be a public-relations nightmare.

Trump spends too much attention to the news to be surprised that not doing his job, and then lying about it 2 times, would create fallout.

[LiberalLovinLug]

22. I can believe it

But probably more like his chief of staff telling him he should go, and him whining back about is it really necessary?, and the staff afraid to disagree, said no it wasn't technically necessary.

He watches the news, Fox News, where all he hears is how everybody loves him no matter what. He's not going to learn anything on there.

[Farmer-Rick]

3. It will get more like a Jerry Springer show

He, and the hate filled little twit we get to call first lady, are so trashy that they only need time to sink to levels of absurdity.

[cilla4progress]

31. Bingo!

And those shows ran their course. Can't happen soon enough.

[bullwinkle428]

4. The multiple pre-election rallies "became narcissistic fuel to his engine."

"After the midterm, it’s the sober dawn of the morning."

K&R!

[octoberlib]

6. Great article!

[Cha]

7. Thanks Theresa May for adding to

trump's fury over being such a LOSER in the Midterms. Lol at your calling to congratulate on his meager "wins".. that's so supportive of the psychopathic gaslighting sociopath in the US wh.

[CatWoman]

8. she was trolling him

[Cha]

10. It certainly sounds like it!

Maybe I was too hard on her?

[NBachers]

35. She should've handed the phone over to John Cleese at his Basil Fawlty best.

[benfranklin1776]

12. 25th amendment territory definitely.

But the flaw in that amendment is now apparent, as it relies on the Vice President and cabinet secretaries who are in this case, at best, unscrupulous, unthinking cultlike followers, but more likely co-conspirators in his criminality so they need him to cover their foul misdeeds and will take no action as a result.

[UniteFightBack]

14. I laughed out loud reading about his unhappiness. Oh they'll be more to come dotard rump. nt

[AllyCat]

15. Yeah, you know what Orange Man? Macron WAS personally attacking you.

but you actually realized it. And you KNOW you are nationalist and that we all despise you.

[chwaliszewski]

16. In the comments section, there was this interesting link...

https://www.axios.com/democrats-load-subpoena-cannon-with-85-trump-targets-1542047305-15ae31a7-4954-4e3a-bf3e-fc836be149ea.html?fbclid=IwAR06kfYFfxa7af5xSn7HjOgf3RdlwzkUYYxAMQ3-u_9MZ7iBxQ41ftZ2gdE

[H2O Man]

17. Recommended.

He is such a repulsive asshole. I was particularly grossed out by his attempt to insult Abby Phillip, who is one of the very smartest individuals in the media today.

[Separation]

18. This is the problem when you "demand loyalty" to yourself over the country gives you.

He only likes people who are loyal to him. He has said it, and has used it to his advantage in his failings of a "Big Time" CEO.

The problem with demanding loyalty to oneself and not the cou try, is you start getting people that only tell you what "you" want to hear, not what's best for the country.

It's also why I spent 20 years ensuring a free press was allowed in this country, and it's going to be that much more important for the men and women of this cou try not to confuse "Nationalism" & "Patriotism". They fly in the face of one another.

[Tipperary]

19. K and r.

Great article!

[watoos]

20. Trump is scared shitless.

[Blue_true]

21. Oohhh, if Trump gets done in on Acosta by a judge Trump appointed.

That is really going to piss the orange loser off.

[Hamlette]

23. Perfect example of Trump blaming others for his behavior

he doesn't go to the cemetery and tweets later that it was impossible to go because weather, too far from airport,traffic (choose one or all three). Then this from the article:


"Trump told aides he thought he looked “terrible” and blamed his chief of staff’s office, and Fuentes in particular, for not counseling him that skipping the cemetery visit would be a public-relations nightmare."

France was not a meeting to carry on high level talks. It was a trip to honor WWI dead which you do by going to ceremonies and grave yards. Why did it not occur to him that skipping out on the reason for the trip would not look so good.

Someone ought to calculate the cost of his little shit storm in Paris like they did for Obama all the time (remember his trip to India or someplace that they said cost millions a day or some such shit?)

[iluvtennis]

29. Why would anyone need to counsel him on attending the memorial service - it's his damn duty.

[cilla4progress]

32. Remember, "I and I alone"?

I dont think he takes advice from anyone anyway. Well, maybe Pecker.

[Hamlette]

34. exactly

he could have been warned, as if it was needed, and he'd still blame them for not blaming him.

What is wrong with him?

[LiberalBrooke]

38. I'm sure he was scheduled to go but just refused.

Of course he was encouraged to go but since he does not listen to anyone, it would have totally bypassed his big head. Only after it was a public relations negative did he decide to blame someone else.

[sarge43]

42. I'm sure Kelly tried to tell him.

Every career Marine who has been alive the past hundred years knows Belleau Wood. It's like Midway for the Navy or Normandy Beach for the Army. It's where they got their free pass into Valhalla.

What's wrong with him? He's a spoiled petulant child for starters. Listing all his faults would use up all the electrons in the universe.

[blitzen]

25. Our country is being held hostage by a criminal lunatic...If the Constitution is still viable...

we will be liberated sooner rather than later. If we're not, then there's a pretty grave problem.

[guillaumeb]

27. "....a bull carrying his own china shop with him whenever he travels..."

Or a sinner carrying his own devils on his back.

[unblock]

39. a bull carrying his own china shop -- that's him to a tee, lol!

[canetoad]

28. Ha Ha

I hope Fuentes and the Secret Service set him up.

"Trump was told that morning by Deputy White House Chief of Staff Zachary D. Fuentes that the Secret Service had concerns about flying Marine One through the rain and fog from Paris to the cemetery 50 miles away, and that a motorcade could be lengthy and snarl traffic in the area, according to one senior White House official."

[Mopar151]

43. Under the bus with him!

Boss Management 101, rach`t yar..... "If he wants to dig his own grave, get him a good shovel, work gloves, and a jug of water!"

[DeafAngelboy23]

30. Sound familiar?

One night, I hold on you
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, you
Castamere, Castamere, Castamere, Castamere
A coat of gold, a coat of red
A lion still has claws
And mine are long and sharp, my Lord
As long and sharp as yours
And so he spoke, and so he spoke
That Lord of Castamere
And now the rains weep o'er his halls
With no one there to hear
Yes, now the rains weep o'er his halls
And not a soul to hear
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

[Denzil_DC]

33. The article's headed by my current favorite pic of Trump:

[demmiblue]

36. K&R

[Harker]

40. Sane world leaders know he's transient.

It's what gives the US its distinctively schizophrenic effect from Presidents to pretzeldents.

[NastyRiffraff]

41. "Nothing is ever real until he sends the tweet."

Per a senior WH aide, speaking of Trump's thinking about replacing Kelly. I can't imagine what it's like to work at this White House, or why people do it. Normally it's a big resume booster, but this one's going to be a deal breaker with many employers.

[Scurrilous]

44. K&R