“In a dark place”: before condemning the violence, Trump spent the day increasingly isolated and angry

The video, tweeted shortly after 7 p.m., followed pressure from advisers to respond more forcefully to the Capitol riot, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. Several of his closest advisers have publicly condemned his response to the violence, and White House councilor Pat Cipollone warned the president he was risking legal exposure related to the riot, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The president spent the day in the White House without access to social media accounts that helped him push for power, as advisers described him as increasingly angry and isolated. His Twitter account was blocked for a period of time and Facebook banned him from his platform, citing posts that companies considered to incite violence or undermine the electoral process.

Members of his inner circle, including Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Mr. Cipollone, and the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, urged him to release another statement Thursday, aides said. Americans needed to hear directly from the president.

They warned the president that it was important to deter supporters from engaging in violent riots on Trump’s behalf, especially as inauguration day approaches, aides said.

On Thursday morning, the president very briefly telephoned a members ’breakfast at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Florida, thanking donors for their service to the party, but did not address the riots, according to a person familiar with the conversation. .

He later awarded the Medal of Freedom to golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player in a private ceremony.

Trump had planned to spend the weekend at Camp David, but a White House official said those plans had been rejected. Officials were also making plans for a possible presidential trip to Texas next week for a border event, a White House aide said.

In times of crisis, the president has often spent hours on the phone calling dozens of friends and advisers to gain their understanding. That was not the case Wednesday and Thursday, aides said, as several of the president’s closest advisers publicly condemned his response to the riots. He also rejected calls for advisers, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who said he spent 25 minutes Wednesday trying to reach out to the president to urge him to call for an end to the violence.

The White House declined to comment.

Advisers said the president remains furious with Vice President Mike Pence for what he considered a betrayal for refusing to try to block Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. Several White House officials walked away from the Oval Office on Thursday, wanting to prevent a president described by an adviser from being “in a dark place.” Advisers said the president seems more consumed with his election loss than he does not regret the riot.

“It’s like watching someone self-destruct in front of your eyes and you can’t do anything,” said another adviser who recently spoke with the president.

On Wednesday, shortly before the president left the White House to comment on supporters, Mr. Pence told him he did not have the constitutional authority to prevent some voters from being counted, something the president had been pushing him to do, according to known people. with the conversation. According to one of the people, Mr Pence said he would set a bad precedent if he deviated from the course.

The president was furious, according to people. “I don’t want to be your friend,” Trump told Pence, according to one of the people. “I want you to be the vice president.”

Many of the president’s aides have been upset by his attacks on Mr Pence, one of his most loyal allies. Some of the president’s advisers have praised Mr. Pence for following the constitution while under pressure from Mr. Trump to overturn election results.

The violence on Wednesday at the Capitol and its aftermath have also unfolded in the context of another major blow to the White House and the Republican Party: losses in two Senate elections in Georgia, meaning Democrats will control the two chambers of Congress and also the White House from 20 January. Several presidential advisers accused his aggressive allegations of fraud for Republican losses this week.

Meanwhile, the ranks around the president have thinned out during the 24 hours following the Capitol riot. On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first cabinet secretary to resign and cited the Capitol’s “totally avoidable” storm. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos resigned Thursday evening and said in a letter to the president that “there was no mistake in the impact your rhetoric had” on Wednesday’s events. At least five administration officials have also resigned, and several more, including National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, have contemplated doing so, aides said. O’Brien is expected to stay for now for national security issues, they said.

“People are very realistic about how bad it is,” one advisor said. Many White House officials are discouraged by the events of the past 24 hours and see it as a terrible way to end the presidency, the adviser said.

On Wednesday, the president was in “bunker mode,” according to a person close to the White House, as aides fought to convince him to condemn the violence at the Capitol.

The president’s advisers, including the vice president, were dismayed by his reluctance to do so, according to people familiar with the talks. Mr. Trump had to be sent to tweet and a subsequent video statement urging riot police to return home, in which he told them “very special” and said “we love you,” because “he didn’t want to do anything.” said one of the people.

The president’s inner circle is the smallest it has ever been, people close to him said. He communicates more and more with devout counselors Mr. Miller, John McEntee and Dan Scavino. Even some of Trump’s staunchest supporters have distanced themselves. Senator Lindsey Graham (R., SC) said Wednesday night in the Senate floor, “Count me. That’s enough. “

The president’s own advisers say they consider his recent behavior to be increasingly self-destructive. Attendees saw the riots in the Capitol unfolding on television in terror. One adviser described the president’s behavior as increasingly erratic and unpredictable.

Some administration officials, as well as external advisers to the president, have begun discussing the invocation of the 25th Amendment, according to a senior administration official and others familiar with the issue, as lawmakers on both sides have asked the cabinet to do so. The move would allow Pence to take over as president if cabinet officials felt Trump could not do his job. But it is considered unlikely to come to fruition, people familiar with the talks said, in part because the president has less than two weeks to complete his term.

It is still unclear what the remaining 13 days of Trump’s presidency will be like. Administration officials have approved a series of executive orders that the president could sign on issues such as the role of independent agencies and the requirements for the American purchase of renewable energy. But several officials said it has been difficult to focus Mr. Trump’s attention on political issues.

Administration officials have also been consumed by pardon discussions in recent weeks. Among those who have spoken of a pardon is rapper Lil Wayne, who in December pleaded guilty to a federal firearms charge, according to people familiar with the talks. Trump met with the rapper in October.

The president has recently told advisers that he is considering issuing a pardon before leaving office, something some allies have urged him to do, but that he has a dubious legal basis, according to someone familiar with the discussions. The New York Times first reported his recent interest and Cipollone’s warning about the president’s legal exposure.

The Justice Department, in a 1974 legal memorandum, said a president cannot be forgiven under the legal principle that “no one can be a judge in his or her own case,” but some law scholars disagree with the law. opinion and has never been tried in court. . Trump, in 2018, said he had the “absolute right” to self-determination, “but why would he do that if I didn’t do anything wrong?”

—Catherine Lucey and Alex Leary contributed to this article.

Write to Rebecca Ballhaus to [email protected] and Andrew Restuccia to [email protected]