With four weeks left in [Illegi]Trump’s term, he is at perhaps his most unleashed — and, as events of the past few days have demonstrated, at the most unpredictable point in his presidency.
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He is almost entirely disengaged from leading the nation...It is not clear that Mr. Trump’s latest behavior is anything other than a temper tantrum, attention seeking or a form of therapy for the man who controls a nuclear arsenal ...
This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen current and former Trump administration officials, Republicans and allies of the president.
Most of his advisers believe Mr. Trump will depart the White House for a final time by Jan. 20...But how far he will go to subvert the election results, actually refuse to leave the White House or to unleash a wave of unilateral policy decisions in his final weeks is hard to discern.
...his erratic behavior and detachment from his duties have even some of his most loyal aides and advisers deeply concerned.
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...the most worrisome issue is the gradual disappearance of the core group of West Wing aides who, often working in unison, consistently could get him to turn away from risky, legally dubious and dangerous ideas.
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...he is listening to Republicans who insist that Vice President Mike Pence could help sway the election during the normally routine process of ratifying the election early next month, despite the fact that it is not realistically possible.
...in the White House, the president is turning on his closest of allies. He has complained to allies that Mr. Pence, who has been mocked for unflinching loyalty over the past four years, should be doing more to defend him.
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Privately, allies...who have dismissed criticisms that the president has authoritarian tendencies, are expressing concern about the next four weeks.
Mr. Barr, whose last day in the job is Wednesday, has told associates he had been alarmed by Mr. Trump’s behavior in recent weeks.
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Other advisers have simply absented themselves at a time when the president is particularly unsteady.
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...Trump has spent his days watching television,...cloistered in the White House, shuffling from the residence to the Oval Office.
Many Trump advisers hope that his trip to...Mar-a-Lago will give him a change of scenery and a change of perspective. He left on Wednesday and is scheduled to stay through the New Year holiday.
