As the partial government shutdown continued on Jan. 3, senators discussed what it will take to reopen the government. (Zoeann Murphy, Rhonda Colvin/The Washington Post)
The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter’s insights
President Trump, 12 days into a government shutdown and facing new scrutiny from emboldened Democrats, inaugurated the new year Wednesday with a Cabinet meeting. It quickly became a 95-minute stream-of-consciousness defense of his presidency and worldview, filled with falsehoods, revisionist history and self-aggrandizement.
Trump trashed his former secretary of defense, retired four-star Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, as a failure after once holding him out as a star of his administration.
“What’s he done for me?” Trump said.
View the complete January 2 article by Anne Gearan on The Washington Post website here.