WASHINGTON — It’s been a weird, wild, whirlwind week for President Donald Trump.
Troubles with his picks for key leadership positions. Revelations that his campaign advisers conversed with Russian intelligence officials before the election. And an angry, rambling press conference where he lashed out at the media and denounced reports of his administration’s rough start.
Through it all, Trump maintained that his White House has been running like a “fine-tuned machine.”
Here’s a look at Trump’s extraordinary week.
Monday: Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned after the Washington Post reported that Flynn lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations during the transition with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. The Post revealed that Flynn and the ambassador had discussed sanctions imposed under the Obama administration, while Obama was still in office.
In this Feb. 13, 2017, file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in the east Room of the White House in Washington for a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Flynn resigned as Trump’s national security adviser Monday.Evan Vucci, AP Photo
Tuesday: The New York Times reported that members of Trump’s campaign had repeated contacts with Russian intelligence officials before the election. That revelation, coupled with the Flynn matter, have prompted calls for further investigation.
That day also brought news that the government’s ethics watchdog had found that Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway likely violated ethical standards when she plugged Ivanka Trump’s fashion line in a TV interview.
Wednesday: Trump was dealt a major blow when his pick for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, withdrew after it became clear his confirmation lacked enough support in the Senate. Puzder, a Cleveland-born fast-food executive, had faced questions about employing an undocumented household worker and failing to pay taxes, as well as old abuse allegations that surfaced in divorce records.
In this Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump and Andy Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants, shake hands as Puzder leaves Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse in Bedminster, N.J. Trump tapped Puzder as his pick to head the Labor Department, but Puzder later withdrew from consideration.Carolyn Kaster, AP Photo
Thursday: Trump held a free-wheeling news conference in which he decries leaks of classified information, lambastes the media as “out of control” and dismisses reports of chaos in his administration, declaring that he “inherited a mess” from the Obama administration. USA Today reported that Trump uttered several “familiar false claims” during the news conference.
Later in the day, reports came out that Trump’s pick to replace Flynn as national security adviser, Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, had turned down the job.
So how is this wild week going to end? With a celebration, of course.
Trump is getting back on the trail to soak in the admiration of his supporters at a place where he feels totally at ease: a campaign-style rally at an airplane hangar in Florida.
The rally is planned for 5 p.m. Saturday at the AeroMod International hangar at Orlando Melbourne International Airport.
It should be quite the topper for Trump’s tumultuous week.
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