Let's just remember while parsing this NBC story that it was Donald Trump and Trump alone who decided to fire former FBI Director James Comey, and it was also Trump alone who went on national television with Lester Holt last week and declared that he had made the decision himself. With that, take it away, NBC ...
Rattled by President Donald Trump's increasing frustration with the staff guidance he's getting and by the administration's unforced errors, White House officials are desperately hoping the president's first foreign trip beginning on Friday offers a chance to reboot what's become a damaging narrative.
First off, the idea that anyone but Trump is to blame for Trump is hilarious. As if someone whispered in his ear: "I've got an idea, Mr. Pr*sident—go on national television and 100 percent contradict everything your staff has been selling the American people about the Comey firing for the last 24 hours." And then someone clearly got to Trump Friday morning and pressed his little thumbs to his phone to threaten Comey with "tapes." Whoever forced Trump to do that should be fired—IMMEDIATELY.
But yeah, definitely—send Trump overseas. What could go wrong?
Anyway, back to this notion that Trump's aides are the problem. Apparently an internal "paranoia" is creeping through the White House about who's getting axed next. Chief strategist Steve Bannon's star has reportedly fallen significantly; he even appears not to have been informed about the Comey ouster until the decision had been made. Chief of staff Reince Preibus, on the other hand, is working overtime to secure his future because working in this White House is just. that. great.
Two other sources close to the president say Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, concerned about being perceived as out of the loop, has crashed West Wing meetings in an effort to stay keyed in on comings and goings. (Although another source notes Priebus has been known for "drop-ins" since early in the administration.)
As for beleaguered Press Secretary Sean Spicer: he's been the subject of persistent firing rumors for months, but even his allies acknowledge the latest flurry of chatter feels more substantial. Multiple sources cite a growing split between Spicer and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, who made clear his displeasure with how the press shop handled the Comey firing fallout.
C’mon, really? Kushy’s gonna force me to defend Spicey? Well, this is truly painful, but here goes: No one even told the press shop until an hour before Comey’s firing. There it is. Spicer's a boob, to be sure, but he wasn't even consulted on how this would play.
On the other hand, Jared Kushner appears to have known about the firing in advance. If he was so concerned, seems he could have warned Trump against it or gotten the press shop involved earlier, no?
Anyway, a shakeup might be in the offing. Trump's apparently pissy that he did what he wanted and people don’t like it and no one told him it wasn't a good idea. Who knew firing the guy who's investigating you could be so complicated?
Still, if President Trump does decide to go in a different direction, he'll face another problem: "You can't fire your senior team, or most of them, if you don't have anybody ready to go," said one source familiar with the discussions. "They clearly don't have anybody ready to go."
Details, schmetails! Go ahead, throw all the deck chairs overboard. The Trumptanic will just be a little less comfy on the way down.