On Friday, Trump did not speak publicly about impeachment and he remained relatively restrained on Twitter.
The White House focused on ensuring Republican senators remained unified in the majority’s decision to not call witnesses to the trial, but aides were having a hard time plotting beyond that vote given the unpredictable nature of Capitol Hill and the rules governing an impeachment trial.
“Today feels like the very beginning of impeachment: no clear strategy, and no one seems to know how POTUS wants things to play out,” said one former White House official.
The president will spend this weekend at Mar-a-Lago, accompanied by his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and senior adviser Stephen Miller, who has been busy writing drafts of the State of the Union address. Aides have reserved time over the weekend for the president to prep for the Tuesday night speech.
In Florida, Trump is also expected to sit down for an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity for a spot that will air before Sunday’s Superbowl.
White House aides are still talking through a variety of options for Trump to make a statement once he is acquitted. Those include a potential and rare Oval Office address, a statement from the press secretary, a press conference or just chopper talk with reporters as he comes and goes from the White House. The form of his response depends partly on the day and time of the Senate’s vote to acquit, according to one senior administration official.
Aides expect the president to take a victory lap for several weeks post-impeachment at planned events such as his upcoming campaign rally in New Hampshire.
In other words, Trump is unlikely to let this go.
The Trump campaign’s post-impeachment message is likely to evoke a sense of political déjà vu. One campaign adviser said they’re considering a handful of phrases that can be printed on banners and handheld signs for the president’s campaign rallies, much like the “no collusion” and “read the transcript” mantras printed on tees during the Russia probe and impeachment.
“There is no question we will claim acquittal as vindication,” added a senior campaign official.
A second Republican close to the White House said the president still wants to get to the bottom of what, in his mind, kicked off the impeachment — including the identity and motivation of the whistleblower as well as the actions of Hunter and Joe Biden.
Trump’s “desire will only grow as Democrats continue with their presidential harassment,” the Republican added.
Source: politico.com
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