Donald Trump Is on the Ropes [View all]

[DemocratSinceBirth]

The Trump administration is less than one month old and roiled by wave after wave of scandal, so that virtually every day brings news that would paralyze a normal government. On Monday night, national security advisor Mike Flynn resigned amid reports that he had lied to other members of the administration about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador. On Tuesday night, The New York Times published a blockbuster report that “phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.” This story has resurrected the unfinished business of Russian interference in the 2016 election, bolstering Democrats’ calls for further investigation into Russia’s actions and possible collusion by Trump’s campaign.

Trump reacted to the Flynn news by blaming the messengers, tweeting, “The real story here is why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington?” So we already knew how he would respond on Wednesday morning to the Times report:


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In rhetorical battles, Trump is most effective when he can name and define his enemy, be it “Low Energy” Jeb, “Little Marco,” or “Crooked Hillary.” Anonymous leakers can’t be given insulting nicknames—not ones that stick, anyway—and they certainly can’t be intimidated on TV or Twitter. There can also be no clear victory against so amorphous an enemy. So although Trump’s anti-leak crusade might please his base for now, it’s also making him look weak—like a commander who’s lost control of his troops, or an aging boxer who can no longer land a punch.

https://newrepublic.com/article/140644/donald-trump-ropes-russia-leaks-weaker-every-day