Trump moped alone in 'self-pity mode' at the White House residence as he was impeached for the 2nd time, reports say

Advertisement
Trump moped alone in 'self-pity mode' at the White House residence as he was impeached for the 2nd time, reports say
President Donald Trump.AP Photo/Evan Vucci
  • President Donald Trump was isolated and despondent at the White House residence on Wednesday as the House voted to impeach him for the second time, reports said.
  • Trump was impeached on a charge of inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 that left five people dead.
  • Sources told CNN he was in "self-pity mode" and "holed up in the residence." A senior administration official told The Washington Post that "the president is pretty wound up."
  • Many White House aides have resigned or left since the riot, leaving the president largely alone, both outlets said.
  • According to The Post, Trump feels let down by his advisors, and he has told aides to withhold legal fees from his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Advertisement

President Donald Trump cloistered himself in the White House in "self-pity mode" as the House impeached him for the second time, CNN and The Washington Post reported.

On Wednesday, the House impeached Trump on a charge of inciting an insurrection. His supporters stormed the US Capitol and destroyed federal property in a riot on January 6 that left five people dead.

The House impeached the president in December 2019, but the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him last February. He appears more likely to be convicted by the Senate this time, as several Republican senators have turned on him in recent weeks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is "seriously entertaining" a vote to convict Trump and bar him from holding a federal-government position, GOP sources told Insider.

As the House impeached him on Wednesday, the president cut a sad figure, White House staffers told news outlets.

Advertisement

"He's been holed up in the residence, that's never a good thing," a person close to the White House told CNN.

"He's by himself, not a lot of people to bounce ideas off of, whenever that happens he goes to his worst instincts."

Trump moped alone in 'self-pity mode' at the White House residence as he was impeached for the 2nd time, reports say
Trump in the White House on September 9, 2020.Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images

"He's in self-pity mode," a White House advisor told CNN, adding that "everybody's angry at everyone" at the White House.

Read more: 'It was degrading': Black Capitol custodial staff talk about what it felt like to clean up the mess left by violent pro-Trump white supremacists

One reason for Trump's melancholy was his frustration with aides and advisors for not sticking with him in his time of need, The Post reported.

Advertisement

Several top US officials have quit in response to the Capitol riot, including Betsy DeVos, the education secretary; Matthew Pottinger, a deputy national security advisor; and Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's chief of staff.

Trump being upset with his staff is nothing new.

Since losing the election, the president has been angry with aides, officials, and advisors who he believed did not back him up enough when he made baseless claims of voter fraud.

According to multiple reports, Trump has singled out Vice President Mike Pence, accusing him of lacking loyalty.

The New York Times reported that before the riot at the Capitol, Trump called Pence, who was tasked with certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory, and told him, "You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a p---y."

Advertisement

During the impeachment vote on Wednesday, Trump was also upset with Rudy Giuliani, his personal attorney, The Post reported.

Trump moped alone in 'self-pity mode' at the White House residence as he was impeached for the 2nd time, reports say
Trump addresses supporters in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, shortly before the mob attacked the US Capitol.Getty Images

Trump recently told aides not to pay Giuliani his legal fees and said he would need to personally approve any travel expenses Giuliani claimed for his work contesting the US election result.

"The president is pretty wound up," a senior administration official told The Post. A former administration official told the newspaper that Trump was "feeling increasingly alone and isolated and frustrated."

Trump's listlessness on Wednesday was welcomed by administration officials, who have said they have no fight left in them, The Daily Beast reported.

"Today was a quiet day," a senior White House official told the outlet, adding that "that is what everyone wants."

Advertisement

The official added, "If we can keep things quiet and event-free between now and the Biden [inauguration] that's a victory."

After the riot, social-media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Snap permanently barred Trump.

"Now that Twitter isn't available," a White House source told CNN, "God only knows what the outlet will be."

{{}}