How Twitter tirade in front of breakfast television news set the world on edge

President tilts at the Kremlin after Fox News feature on Putin, Syria and election meddling

EVEN by Donald Trump’s standards, the tweetstorm was quite something.

Beginning at 6.30am and lasting two-and-a-half hours, the US president laid bare his frustrations over Russia.

The Kremlin was told to “get ready” for a Syrian air strike, mocked for thinking it could destroy America’s “nice” and “smart” missiles and warned relations were worse than during the Cold War.

Bashar al-assad, the Syrian president, was dubbed a “Gas Killing Animal” who enjoys murder, and the Democrats were blamed for driving the Russian election meddling inquiry.

There was even time in the president’s six-tweet tirade to bash an old foe – “The Failing New York Times”– and criticise the man investigating his campaign, Robert Mueller. Hints for what set Mr Trump off could be found

on Fox & Friends, the president’s favourite breakfast cable news show, which pulled no punches over Russia yesterday.

One ex-military talking head dubbed Russia, Iran and Syria “pariahs” that the Trump administration should go after “in a very public way”.

Another said Vladimir Putin and Russia “only understand power” and will “respect” it once shown. Both comments aired before Mr Trump’s first tweet. His scattergun approach also reflects two wider truths in the current White House – Mr Trump’s raw fury at the Russian election probe and a shake-up in his foreign policy team.

The New York Times quoted two sources “close to the West Wing” saying Mr Trump was in “meltdown” over Mr Mueller’s special counsel investigation on Tuesday, the day before his tweets.

On Monday, FBI officials raided the office and home of Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s long-term personal attorney who paid the porn star Stormy Daniels after she alleged an affair.

The president has done little to hide his anger at the move, repeatedly calling it a “disgrace” and musing on whether he should fire Mr Mueller, who passed on information that led to the raid.

Mr Trump directly linked America’s deteriorating relationship with Russia to the “fake & corrupt” investigation in his tweets yesterday, a sign he sees them as parts of the same whole.

The president’s numerous Russia fires – the election meddling scandal, Russia’s Syrian regime support, his thwarted efforts at building a closer relationship with Mr Putin – cannot be seen as independent of each other. And then there is Mr Trump’s security team shake-up. As the president considers how to react over Syria, he does so without some checks and balances that previously curbed his instincts.

Gone is Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state who often urged caution. His replacement, Mike Pompeo, is yet to get Senate approval – meaning Mr Trump is making calls without a permanent top diplomat.

Gone is HR Mcmaster, the former general who was another restraining influence as the White House national security adviser.

In his place is John Bolton, the hawkish George W Bush diplomat who started on Monday and is already making his presence felt.

Three of the old guard – Nadia Schadlow, the US deputy national security adviser, Tom Bossert, the homeland security adviser, and Michael Anton, the national security council spokesman – have already been booted, with more changes expected.

Mr Bolton, out of government for more than a decade, is playing a central role in the Syria discussions. Mr Trump yesterday tweeted it “feels great” to have Mr Bolton by his side.

‘Vladimir Putin and Russia only understand power and they will respect it once shown’