A candid White House photograph by Doug Mills, taken from afar with a long lens, captures President Trump on Marine One leaning in toward his aides Katie Zacharia and Natalie Harp. The image, the author argues, reveals Trump's hunger for adulation at a moment when his support is waning among a public growing increasingly disgusted and exhausted.
The photo is compared to earlier revealing presidential moments, including Lyndon B. Johnson lifting his beagle by the ears and George W. Bush learning of the second plane strike on September 11. The author describes Trump's trip to red states as a self-affirming tour meant to boost his candidates and let him bask in applause from his dwindling base, while his White House bubble grows smaller, more insular and more fractious.
The author portrays Zacharia and Harp as obedient staffers who reinforce Trump's worldview. Zacharia reposted the photo with the caption "Best President in U.S. History!!!", while Harp is described as the aide who trails the president with a portable printer, delivering favorable coverage to him.
By Friday, however, Trump was easing Zacharia out, telling her, "Honestly, if I were you, I'd reconsider." Soon after, she was let go. The column also notes that Harp had shown Trump a Politico story reporting that he was looking for a new chief of staff, and that the right to profit from public office, in Trump's eyes, belongs only to him and his family.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing