Trump calls meeting with military leaders the ‘calm before the storm’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was clearly looking to make some kind of news, but about what, exactly, was not clear. And the mystery, as it often does with a president whose statements baffle even his staff, only deepened the next day.

On Thursday evening, the presidential press corps was told Trump was done with his public schedule for the day. But around 7 p.m., Trump summoned reporters who were still at work to the State Dining Room, where he was throwing a dinner for military commanders and their spouses.

Gesturing to his guests, he said, “You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.”

“What’s the storm?” asked one reporter.

“Could be the calm before the storm,” Trump repeated.

“From Iran?” ventured another reporter. “On ISIS? On what?”

As the generals shifted from foot to foot, Trump brought the game of 20 Questions to an end. He praised his beribboned guests as the “world’s great military people” and excused the stymied reporters, who returned to their workstations.

By Friday, the White House was still unable to shed light on the matter; several of Trump’s aides said they had no idea what the president meant. But the press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump wasn’t just teasing his favorite antagonists. He was sending a message.

“I wouldn’t say that he’s messing with the press,” Sanders told reporters. “I think we have some serious world issues here. I think that North Korea, Iran both continue to be bad actors, and the president is somebody who’s going to always look for ways to protect Americans, and he’s not going to dictate what those actions may look like.”

Suddenly, Trump’s banter took on an ominous tone. Maybe he was foreshadowing war with North Korea, which he has threatened with “fire and fury” if the reclusive country aimed its missiles at the U.S. Or perhaps he was predicting a clash with Iran, a week before he is expected to disavow the nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor.

“He certainly doesn’t want to lay out his game plan for our enemies,” Sanders declared.