Free Fall

NEW DETAIL per three sources: Trump said several times in mtg he wasn't concerned about terrorists 7,000 miles away. After Pelosi & Hoyer left, @RepLizCheney spoke up to remind Trump that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 "came from 7,000 miles away" themselves. https://t.co/FySaRMsSzc

— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) October 16, 2019

That letter was leaked by White House staff. Or was it?

Per the same source, Trump handed out copies of the letter he'd sent to Erdogan at today's meeting in what was interpreted as an attempt to show everyone how tough he'd been.

— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) October 16, 2019

It's even worse if it wasn't, isn't it?

The report in that tweet at the top is coming from GOP members who were in the meeting with Pelosi and Schumer.  The White House tried to say it was a dignified discussion among peers:

.@PressSec calls Trump "measured, factual and decisive" during meeting with Hill leaders, adds:

"While Democratic leadership chose to storm out and get in front of the cameras to whine, everyone else in the meeting chose to stay in the room and work on behalf of this country.”

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) October 16, 2019

But even the GOP isn't backing that.  Hell, they're running over McCarthy like he was a welcome mat they wiped their shoes on:

"Sure, Jan" https://t.co/ID3Ylfkn20

— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) October 16, 2019

This tells you what happened, from the horse's mouth:

Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown! pic.twitter.com/RDeUI7sfe7

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2019

That's not a "meltdown," that's a Speaker of the House reminding the POTUS of the co-equal branches of government.  What's revealing is that, like the letter, Trump thinks it makes him look good.  This could well be what she was saying when that photo was snapped:

per senior Democratic aide, the Speaker told the President at the WH his policy had given Russia the “foothold in the Middle East” that Moscow has always wanted

Pelosi to Trump directly: “All roads with you lead to Putin”

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 16, 2019

Trump's response was to put her words in his mouth:

Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her “upstairs,” or she just plain doesn’t like our great Country. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019

Because "I'm rubber and you're glue" is what our President thinks is a reasoned response. Speaker Pelosi is, as ever playing chess while Trump plays mumblety-peg.

Pelosi has updated her Twitter cover photo pic.twitter.com/QmNJs1fpt1

— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) October 16, 2019