With less than 48 hours until Robert Mueller’s 400-page report is released to the public, there’s an almost giddy mood at the White House. “I don’t think it’s ever been as pleasant of a place to work as it is now. Everyone is actually really happy,” a White House official told a former colleague this week. Aside from a few rage episodes over the border—and those seem partially strategic—Donald Trump’s mood has been mostly buoyant since attorney general William Barr sent Congress his four-page summary of Mueller’s report last month. “Trump feels totally vindicated,” the former official told me. The prevailing West Wing view is that Thursday’s release is mostly a formality—the verdict is already in. That optimism is spilling over into a very rosy view of the president’s 2020 prospects. “They think they’re going to win unless they really fuck up. Trump is super happy all these Democrats are getting in,” a Republican close to the White House said.

Even the chaos looks smart to the Trumpers these days. Trump’s purge of Homeland Security officials and proposal to send migrants to sanctuary cities is only a preview of what Trump could do to create diversionary headlines to distract from politically damaging material in the report. “People are focusing on Stephen Miller. But it’s really the president who’s driving this,” a former West Wing official said of the recent D.H.S. firings. “Stephen is like the kid in the back of the class egging him on to shoot the spitball.” Another former West Wing official told me, “Nobody is in Trump’s ear. The only thing you can do is confirm what he’s already thinking.”

Inside the West Wing, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has told officials the immigration controversies are more than a distraction, but good 2020 politics. “Everyone including Mick thinks it’s really smart,” a source close to the White House said. “The Democrats want to make this election about Donald Trump. But if Trump makes it about immigration and socialism and the Electoral College, it’s good for him,” the official said. It’s a view shared by the 2020 campaign. “He is battling obstructionist Democrats who tried to block his national emergency declaration and is openly considering relocating illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities, which had proudly proclaimed themselves safe havens. You can bet you’ll be hearing about immigration as 2020 approaches,” campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told me.

Another weapon Trump intends to use against Mueller’s report and to stoke his base is his call for a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton and the origins of the Russia probe. “From day one they’ve been trying to get a Hillary investigation going. I wouldn’t be surprised if they try and do that,” a Republican close to the White House said. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani told a prominent Republican last week that Barr has all the evidence he needs to name a special prosecutor to investigate the basis on which Mueller was appointed. “Rudy is dead focused. He wants Barr to take action and investigate McCabe, Strzok, Page, Rosenstein, and Comey,” the Republican said, referring to the senior Justice Department and F.B.I. officials.

While Trump relishes the prospect of going after his opponents, his family is acting emboldened in the post-Mueller environment. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, in particular, are taking a more aggressive approach to internal politics, sources said. “Jared is totally relieved about Mueller. He feels they’ve been completely exonerated. The criminal liability has gone away,” a source who spoke recently with Kushner told me.

A former West Wing official said Kushner’s influence has never been stronger. “He’s running the R.N.C. He’s running the campaign,” the official said. “You have to go through Jared on everything,” a Republican close to the White House said. “He’s the kingmaker.”

Some current and former White House officials fear that Trump’s what-me-worry? attitude could go up in smoke once the report lands. “In the short term, Trump will pretend it’s nothing. He’ll quote anything in the report that’s helpful to him,” a Republican close to the White House told me. “But after that, it’s going to drive him crazy. My prediction is he’s going to hit Barr for releasing the report.”

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