Trump to set up ‘war room’ of new aides in fightback against mounting criticism
The Trump administration is due to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations that the President had colluded with Russia during the election campaign. Following a wave of fresh controversies sparked by the firing of FBI director James Comey, Donald Trump’s young presidency looks to be under increasing threat as he faces mounting pressure from several investigations.
In a bid to fight back against the mounting criticism, Donald Trump’s advisers are planning to establish a “war room” filled with new aides and administration officials who will focus on delivering his agenda on healthcare reform, cutting taxes and increasing infrastructure investment. The investigation, coupled with reports of chaos and infighting within the White House, has meant little of what Mr Trump had vowed to achieve in his first 100 days has materialised.
Meanwhile the former reality star’s popularity among voters has dipped to even further lows. A poll conducted by Fox News this week found only 28 per cent of Americans surveyed “strongly approved” of Mr Trump’s performance – down from 45 per cent in April. The President has consistently received the lowest approval ratings for the first 10 months in office of any President since the rating was introduced in 1953.
The new messaging effort will hit back at suggestions that the Kremlin directs the administration and will instead focus on the stalled policy agenda with Mr Trump likely to make more trips out of Washington and more of the raucous rallies with core supporters across the country. Mr Trump raised eyebrows by castigating his fellow Nato members for their failure to increase defence spending to two per cent of GDP in front of their respective leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.
A source close to the White House said: “Since the firing of Comey, that really exposed the fact that the White House in its current structure is not prepared for really a one-front war, let alone a two-front war. They need to have a structure in place that allows them to stay focused [while] also truly fighting back on these attacks and these leaks.”
The White House declined to comment on the plans for a “war room” but said Mr Trump will be looking to expand on momentum they say they have built up following “an incredibly successful trip overseas” and will continue their “aggressive messaging strategy to highlight his agenda” when Mr Trump returns.