Trump's barometer for success following Russia investigation's end -- TV ratings
By Josh Dawsey and
Seung Min Kim March 30 at 6:00 AM
After President Trump vowed to take credit for shutting down the government over border wall funding during a televised Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders in December, West Wing aides sprung into overdrive to clean up the mess.
Taking ownership of a shutdown was considered verboten in Washington and the overwhelming consensus was that the president had screwed up. But Trump was elated with the media coverage that followed.
“This is why I was so great on the Apprentice,” he told a startled Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) during a phone call the next morning, crowing that the ratings of the meeting were “great.”
Ryan said he did not know such government meetings scored ratings — or that they were released within 12 hours, according to aides familiar with the call who requested anonymity to describe the private conversation. Trump told Ryan that everyone watched and that Trump was dominating the TV — and that made the meeting a success.
After more than two years in office, Trump continues to view his presidency through TV ratings and news coverage, while assessing the worthiness of his allies by how they perform during cable news hits.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-barometer-for-success-following-russia-investigations-end--tv-ratings/2019/03/29/acfde264-524e-11e9-af35-1fb9615010d7_story.html