Chaos protects him from personal scrutiny

Despite a drop in the markets, growing fallout over his abrupt decision to pull troops from the Middle East and the ensuing resignation of his defense secretary, not to mention a looming government shutdown, the president seemed nothing but sanguine.

“We have had a very busy two or three days,” Mr. Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon. “It’s been very positive. There are things that haven’t happened in our government for a long time.”

That part, at least, is true.

[...]

As his emissaries, including Vice President Mike Pence, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his incoming acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, tried and failed to negotiate with Democrats, Mr. Trump shared a photo of a design of the “beautiful” spiked border wall in whose name he had decided to hold the government hostage. He then shared another one of himself seated behind the Resolute Desk, signing “many bills” before the federal government careened toward closing.

At points throughout the day, Mr. Trump refused to address the chaos as he further ensconced himself in his administration’s achievements. Speaking to reporters assembled for a bill-signing on criminal justice reform — a piece of bipartisan legislation championed by Mr. Kushner — Mr. Trump refused to address unrelated questions on Syria or other issues, telling reporters their questions were not appropriate.

[...]

As he lost the public support of those once willing to step forward on his behalf, Mr. Trump grew angry over his news coverage and told people close to him that he would be fine without Mr. Mattis. He rebuffed them for even expressing concern.

[...]

Mr. Trump also privately groused about having to postpone departure plans for his 16-day trip to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort. On Friday, Melania Trump, the first lady, had already made plans to leave town with the couple’s son Barron, according to her spokeswoman. Mr. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, who are also planning to go to Mar-a-Lago, were preparing to stay with Mr. Trump in Washington, an administration official said.

  NYT

If they'd leave, he'd probably sign a compromise bill so he could get onto his golf course.

Mr. Trump privately complained that Mr. Mulvaney, who stepped into the vacancy left by John F. Kelly after others turned down the chief of staff position, had given him few options for averting the shutdown.

Ha. Mulvaney hasn't even taken the actual reins yet and Trump is already griping about him. But, as I've said before, why is he blaming anyone for anything? He keeps telling us he knows more about everything than anyone else in the world. Why does he need Mulvaney to give him options?  He has his gut.  (In fact, everyone knew how he could avert the shutdown.)

As the day drew on, reports surfaced that Mr. Mulvaney, who is set to take over for Mr. Kelly on Jan. 2, had once called Mr. Trump’s plans for a border wall “absurd and almost childish.”

How long is Mulvaney going to last?

The consequences of Mr. Trump’s self-sown chaos reverberated throughout the broader Trump orbit, where some conservatives alarmed by Mr. Mattis’s departure said privately that they were finally fed up with the president and regretted having worked to support him.

That's rich. All the economy woes, border chaos, and myriad other shitastrophies were okay, but interfering in hegemonic war policy was a bridge too far.

“I guess the fundamental question is whether this president wants the best advice of experienced people when it comes to national security,” Leon E. Panetta, who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama, said in an interview, “or whether he just wants those that will blindly go along with whatever he decides to tweet.”

Lord love ya, Leon. That is not in question.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.