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WASHINGTON (AP) – The video message that plunged Washington into chaos was filmed in secret.
President Donald Trump stood in the White House diplomatic reception hall, a holiday wreath and sparkling ornaments draped over the fireplace behind him. He turned to the camera not to express warm Christmas wishes, but to threaten to detonate Congressional $ 900 billion in COVID-19 relief and year-end package.
The video was released without warning Tuesday night, its recording orchestrated by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and kept from all but a handful of aides. Few Republicans or even White House staff knew what Trump was planning next on Wednesday, in a return to 24-hour chaos in his first months in office.
The moment was also a throwback to the start of Trump’s political career, when he launched direct assaults on the GOP leadership and the party establishment. Now Trump appears poised to do it again by stepping down, potentially sabotaging his party’s chances of controlling the Senate as he angrily lashes out at those he says did not support his efforts to cancel the elections.
Since his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump has locked himself in the White House with an ever-shrinking circle of aides and allies, including fraudulent conspiracy theories on the election. He ignored the outbreak of the pandemic that kills 3,000 Americans a day, and mostly left it to others to promote the vaccines that were counted on to end it.
Much of his goal was to try to undo Biden’s victory, embrace baseless conspiracy theories, push frivolous legal challenges, and undermine faith in the principles of American democracy and peaceful transfer. power.
The president, who hasn’t hosted a public event for 10 days, left Wednesday afternoon for more than a week in Mar-a-Lago, his Florida coastal estate. Until the president left, aides were unsure whether he would cancel the trip, adding uncertainty to a tired, hollowed out West Wing with dozens of empty desks as employees begin to leave for new jobs.
“There are mixed signals from the White House leaving more confusion than calm,” Biden noted Wednesday.
Confusion was the buzzword Tuesday night when Trump posted two videos, one falsely claiming to have won the election in a “landslide” and the other calling on lawmakers to increase out-of-pocket payments for most. Americans $ 600 to $ 2,000 for individuals and $ 4,000 for couples, a boost most Republicans strongly oppose.
The payments are included in sweeping legislation passed by Congress earlier this week. Trump personally played little role in the negotiations, even though the White House initially sent signals that he would sign the bill.
The president’s focus has remained on the election, and he’s increasingly frustrated with Republicans who recognize Biden’s victory. He has also complained to allies in recent days that Vice President Mike Pence, who has spent four years demonstrating his loyalty, was not doing enough to defend him. And he said he was happy with the departure of Attorney General William Barr, who had failed to support his calls for a special advocate to investigate electoral fraud.
Trump has been bolstered by the support of some House Republicans who are offering attractive options for congressional certification of Biden’s victory in early January. Such an effort would be futile to block Biden, but would likely deepen the campaign of disinformation Trump and his allies have launched since election day to undermine the legitimacy of the new president.
It is unclear whether Trump is threatening to delay the relief bill simply to upset Republicans. But the timing of his statements is particularly problematic for the party, given the upcoming Senate run-off in Georgia, which will determine whether Republicans can retain control of the chamber.
There are also personal political considerations at stake for Trump. Aides believed that fighting to put more money in the hands of average Americans could increase his popularity and populist credentials for whatever his potential next move, including a possible presidential election in 2024.
Some of his staff have already started planning a post-presidency with Trump in Florida, where the outgoing CEO is expected to reside after he leaves. Trump is expected to remain highly visible after he leaves office and could launch political and media efforts even if he is slow to announce another possible campaign.
But now sequestered in near-isolation in the White House, Trump paid attention to lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, both promoting electoral conspiracy theories, and listened to the efforts of his former national security adviser Michael Flynn to declare martial law. Yet he rebuked aides who urged him to denounce Russia for allegedly committing widespread hacking targeting the computer systems of US government agencies.
Adding to the uproar, Trump vetoed the annual defense policy bill on Wednesday, following threats against a measure that enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress. He potentially sets up the first priority vote of his presidency.
And although Trump has backed out of the pandemic, he used the powers of the office when he pardoned 15 people, including a pair of Congress Republicans who were staunch early supporters, a 2016 campaign official. trapped in the investigation of Russia and convicted former government contractors. during a 2007 massacre in Baghdad. And minutes after Air Force One took off for Florida, Trump sent a warning tweet to Iran after a recent round of rocket attacks in Iraq by Iranian-backed militias.
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Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed reporting from Washington.
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