New reports indicate that President Donald Trump is aware of the extent to which he has lost control of his own presidency and is determined to fix the situation.
"Another week, and no progress on the GOP agenda," one high-ranking Republican told Axios. "Infrastructure Week turned into Comey Week. No one really knows Trump and came to D.C. with him. He is a president on an island, all alone... [T]he ability to get anything done is in double jeopardy."
Trump seems to be placing at least some of the blame on his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, according to a report by Politico. As he contemplates bringing former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and former deputy campaign manager David Bossie into his administration, he invited the two to the Oval Office and berated Priebus in their presence, letting all three of them know that they would be brought on board once Priebus had undertaken a major staff shakeup.
"I’m giving you until July 4. I don’t want them to come into this mess. If I’m going to clean house, they will come in as fresh blood," Priebus is reported to have said.
Despite this reported humiliation, Priebus recently thanked Trump for the "blessing" of being able to serve as his chief of staff, according to a report by Glenn Thrust of The New York Times. It is unclear whether even Priebus himself will remain on board after the shakeup occurs.
Meanwhile, as Politico reports, at least a dozen prominent Republicans are concerned that Trump's ongoing scandals and inability to push through major legislative accomplishments will result in major losses during the 2018 midterm elections. Even Secretary of Defense James "Mad Dog" Mattis has kept a low profile since Trump took office, a decision that individuals close to him believe is motivated by his belief that the military can unite the country by maintaining its perceived political neutrality.
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