Donald Trump Feeling The Pressure, Some Worry About Emotional State
President Donald Trump may be starting to feel all the mounting pressure, prompting a growing number of those around him to worry about his emotional state.
According to the Washington Post, as Trump grows more channeled on perceived attacks against him, he has taken to obsessing over TV coverage of his administration and publicly striking out at friends and foes alike.
The newspaper adds some close to him go as far as asserting he is on the cusp of “pure madness.”
Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey is one of those who has taken notice.
“I think the president is starting to wobble in his emotional stability and this is not going to end well,” he said. “Trump’s judgment is fundamentally flawed, and the more pressure put on him and the more isolated he becomes, I think, his ability to do harm is going to increase.”
The Trump White House has faced withering scrutiny as the probe of special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling during the 2016 campaign season has ratcheted up several notches.
White House communications director Hope Hicks recently announced her resignation after testifying before the House Intel Committee that she has told “white lies” on Trump’s behalf. One of the Trump’s closest confidantes who has been with him since the beginning, Hicks’ departure is largely viewed as a huge loss for Trump, who has fewer and fewer close, trusted allies.
Meanwhile, son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner was recently stripped of his “top secret” security clearance, and the hits keep on coming for him.
In the midst of all that confusion, Trump moved to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, sparking even more controversy.
Later in the week, Trump extemporaneously invited business leaders to the White House without allowing the Secret Service to check their backgrounds and screen them for entry. Finally, Trump reinvigorated his public feud with attorney general Jeff Sessions, who has regularly blasted over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
All the unwanted attention comes as a new CNN poll shows Trump’s approval rating recently slipped to a historical low of just 35 percent.
The dreadful numbers come after Trump’s approvals showed slight signs of improvement during a period where the economy showed signs of life and the stock market appeared on an impressive upswing.
Since then, the administration has been dogged by negative storylines ranging from revelations that several key White House staffers lacked permanent security clearance, the implementation of a new policy to handle interim security clearances, and news that multiple White House staffers had resigned following accusations of domestic abuse.
Perhaps even more alarming for the beleaguered administration, Trump now scores his lowest approvals among Republicans to date, with just 80 percent of self-identified GOP voters now openly expressing support for him.
Among Democrats, support for Trump stands at just 5 percent, and at 35 percent among independents.