01-08-2021 , 07:31 PM
CNN
It was too little, too late, and may fail to save a presidency imploding at staggering speed under the weight of Donald Trump's tragic flaws.
Late in the final act of his tumultuous administration, the President finally admitted the reality of his political demise Thursday, suddenly surrounded by calls for his resignation, a staff exodus, potential criminal liability and concern over his mental state. The threat of a second impeachment was gaining momentum Friday morning, as more House Democrats signed on to the idea, even if a Senate trial appears inconceivable so close to Inauguration Day.
In a scripted, stilted video, Trump condemned the mayhem unleashed by his supporters in the US Capitol and admitted unequivocally -- more than two months after his election loss -- that he will no longer be president in 12 days.
But presidents don't get credit for pledging a "smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power" after encouraging their mobs to punish another branch of government and doing everything possible to destabilize the nascent administrations of their successors.
They can't get away with lurching into an "address on national healing," as the White House called his remarks, after spending two months subverting democracy by denying their election losses and spending four years shredding truth and inflaming cultural and racial divides for political gain.
Given multiple reports about Trump's true, defiant state of mind, there is every reason to doubt the sentiments behind a prerecorded video message in which he never mentioned President-elect Joe Biden. In the past, the President has often used formal addresses to extricate himself from tough spots before revealing his true feelings on Twitter.
There is also little doubt that Trump's video message was a desperate attempt to salvage his fast-declining political position after a disastrous day filled with outrage about his conduct and growing concerns about whether he is psychologically fit for office.
"I think that video was done only because almost all his senior staff was about to resign, and impeachment is imminent," a Trump adviser told CNN's Jim Acosta. Several disgusted senior aides have already quit over his seditious behavior -- including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Others are staying only to keep the country on the rails over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Trump's relationship with several of his top allies on Capitol Hill appears to be fraying. He engaged in a "heated exchange" with House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, a stalwart ally, as rioters were overrunning the Capitol this week, a source briefed on the conversation told CNN's Phil Mattingly. The House minority leader was impressing on Trump the real-time severity of the situation and implored him to forcefully denounce the attackers, to which Trump demurred, leading to the back-and-forth.
And Trump hasn't spoken to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for weeks, sources say, as part of the fallout from the Kentucky Republican's acknowledgment last month that Biden won the presidency.
Continue reading HERE
It was too little, too late, and may fail to save a presidency imploding at staggering speed under the weight of Donald Trump's tragic flaws.
Late in the final act of his tumultuous administration, the President finally admitted the reality of his political demise Thursday, suddenly surrounded by calls for his resignation, a staff exodus, potential criminal liability and concern over his mental state. The threat of a second impeachment was gaining momentum Friday morning, as more House Democrats signed on to the idea, even if a Senate trial appears inconceivable so close to Inauguration Day.
In a scripted, stilted video, Trump condemned the mayhem unleashed by his supporters in the US Capitol and admitted unequivocally -- more than two months after his election loss -- that he will no longer be president in 12 days.
But presidents don't get credit for pledging a "smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power" after encouraging their mobs to punish another branch of government and doing everything possible to destabilize the nascent administrations of their successors.
They can't get away with lurching into an "address on national healing," as the White House called his remarks, after spending two months subverting democracy by denying their election losses and spending four years shredding truth and inflaming cultural and racial divides for political gain.
Given multiple reports about Trump's true, defiant state of mind, there is every reason to doubt the sentiments behind a prerecorded video message in which he never mentioned President-elect Joe Biden. In the past, the President has often used formal addresses to extricate himself from tough spots before revealing his true feelings on Twitter.
There is also little doubt that Trump's video message was a desperate attempt to salvage his fast-declining political position after a disastrous day filled with outrage about his conduct and growing concerns about whether he is psychologically fit for office.
"I think that video was done only because almost all his senior staff was about to resign, and impeachment is imminent," a Trump adviser told CNN's Jim Acosta. Several disgusted senior aides have already quit over his seditious behavior -- including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Others are staying only to keep the country on the rails over the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Trump's relationship with several of his top allies on Capitol Hill appears to be fraying. He engaged in a "heated exchange" with House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, a stalwart ally, as rioters were overrunning the Capitol this week, a source briefed on the conversation told CNN's Phil Mattingly. The House minority leader was impressing on Trump the real-time severity of the situation and implored him to forcefully denounce the attackers, to which Trump demurred, leading to the back-and-forth.
And Trump hasn't spoken to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for weeks, sources say, as part of the fallout from the Kentucky Republican's acknowledgment last month that Biden won the presidency.
Continue reading HERE
