Reliable Allies Refuse to Defend a President Content With Chaos.
' President Trump, who has long believed that he is his own best adviser and spokesman, was forced to test that idea on Friday when few of his allies seemed willing to publicly share in his evident satisfaction with the tumultuous events that have buffeted the White House in the past few days. . .
At points throughout the day, Mr. Trump refused to address the chaos as he further ensconced himself in his administration’s achievements. Speaking to reporters assembled for a bill-signing on criminal justice reform — a piece of bipartisan legislation championed by Mr. Kushner — Mr. Trump refused to address unrelated questions on Syria or other issues, telling reporters their questions were not appropriate.
In other corners of the rattled capital, his most reliable allies refused to defend him on his decision to pull back troops from the Middle East.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a reliable lieutenant in partisan battle, is now one of the president’s most vocal critics on Syria. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, issued a rare statement that he was “distressed” by the departure of the defense secretary, Jim Mattis. Even Fox News, the mirror Mr. Trump has used to reflect the story of a presidency reshaped in his own image, has broadcast segments critical of his abrupt decision to pull troops. . .
The consequences of Mr. Trump’s self-sown chaos reverberated throughout the broader Trump orbit, where some conservatives alarmed by Mr. Mattis’s departure said privately that they were finally fed up with the president and regretted having worked to support him. Other allies agreed with his idea for a path out of the Middle East, just not the chaos with which it was done.
With whispers abounding through Mr. Trump’s camp, Democrats were far more willing to point out publicly what people close to the president said privately.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/us/politics/donald-trump-syria-government-shutdown.html?