Is Trump in Trouble?

By Trump standards, no. He does not play to the rules. He hires, but also fires and has no problem doing so. There was a widespread belief in Washington that Comey’s conduct and reasoning had become an issue undermining the credibility of the FBI, both in regard to the Clinton emails and the Russian alleged involvement in cyber supporting the Trump campaign. There is also the question of how much the campaign encouraged this, if at all. Yet the summary dismissal of this senior public official is almost without precedent and has caused even more uproar in Washington than we have come to expect from this Presidency. There are the usual demands for special prosecutors and loads of contributions from sanctimonious Democrats, whom few would trust on a good day.

Nevertheless, even if this is not that bad for Trump, it is not that good for America’s image. Not least because these dramas make the international headlines, whilst bread and butter stuff of running the country does not, creating a widespread impression that almost every presidency gets bogged down in scandal fomented by the opposition party, in order to disrupt the effectiveness of the Executive. This is surely not the prospectus which the United States wishes to promote, as an example for others to follow. Neither is it a joined up way to run its own affairs.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the drama, a smiling Lavrov arrives and is ushered into the Oval office, cameras rolling. A rare honour normally given only to heads of government. That is the real news.