President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE won’t be making any move to push special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE out — yet.

That’s the main takeaway from Trump’s interview with The New York Times, which was published on Thursday evening.

Trump will have surprised some allies by predicting that Mueller will be “fair.”

The president’s personal legal team has sought to strike a cooperative tone with Mueller, but the prosecutor has been subjected to a blizzard of criticism from Republican lawmakers and Trump-friendly media outlets.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz Matthew (Matt) GaetzTrump faces tricky choice on Supreme Court pick Florida attorney general scrutinizing Bloomberg paying fines for felons to vote Lara Trump campaigns with far-right activist candidate Laura Loomer in Florida MORE (R-Fla.) told CNN earlier this month that the investigation into Trump, like the earlier probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonFox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio Trump, Biden court Black business owners in final election sprint The power of incumbency: How Trump is using the Oval Office to win reelection MORE’s emails, had been “infected with the virus of severe bias.”

In the Times interview, Trump said he didn’t know when Mueller would end his investigation into allegations of collusion with Russia during the 2016 campaign. That comes in contrast with Trump lawyer Ty Cobb, who predicted the probe would end by Thanksgiving or, at the latest, the end of the year.

But, Trump added of Mueller, “I think he’s going to be fair.”

The president insisted 16 times over the course of the interview that there had been no collusion. He also unnerved Democrats and other skeptics with his assertion that he has the “absolute right” to do what he wishes with the Justice Department.

That is, to say the least, a contentious claim.

It could be read as the president once again defending his firing of FBI Director James Comey James Brien ComeySteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Judge will not dismiss McCabe's case against DOJ Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate MORE — the one event that loomed over all others during his first year in office. But it could also be interpreted as suggesting that Trump might yet act against the people investigating him.

The Times interview received considerable blowback on social media, with critics alleging that the reporter, Michael Schmidt, had not been sufficiently confrontational with Trump.

Others focused on the veracity, or otherwise, of the president’s words. The Washington Post asserted that Trump had made 24 false or misleading claims during the encounter.

Still, the interview — conducted without any aides present — showed the president’s state of mind at the end of a tumultuous year, in which he suffered low approval ratings, an endless stream of controversies — Comey, Russia, Charlottesville, the NFL and more — and frustration, as he failed to undo former President Obama’s signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

Yet Trump has also used his famous Twitter feed in recent days to highlight the achievements he believes have been underplayed by the media: the passage of tax-cutting legislation this month, the generally robust state of the economy, and advances against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

2018 will be critical for the president, particularly because of November’s midterm elections.

Democrats, who looked at the midterms with gloom a year ago — they have to defend many more seats in the Senate than do Republicans — have had their spirits buoyed.

The victory of Democrat Doug Jones over Republican Roy Moore Roy Stewart MooreRoy Moore sues Alabama over COVID-19 restrictions Vulnerable Senate Democrat urges unity: 'Not about what side of the aisle we're on' Sessions hits back at Trump days ahead of Alabama Senate runoff MORE in the Senate race in Alabama earlier this month suggests that few seats are safe for the GOP.

Trump sought to deflect any blame for Moore’s loss during his Times interview, in part by suggesting that he had backed incumbent Sen. Luther Strange Luther Johnson StrangeSessions hits back at Trump days ahead of Alabama Senate runoff The biggest political upsets of the decade State 'certificate of need' laws need to go MORE (R-Ala.) in the primary because he knew Moore would have trouble in the general election.

But the broader question as the midterms loom is whether Trump and the GOP seek some kind of bipartisanship or prefer to stick with the base-first strategy that got the president elected.

It’s not clear whether Trump has made up his mind.

He told Schmidt on one hand that bipartisan progress was possible on three issues: infrastructure spending, health care and a fix for the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which gives a measure of protection to people who came to the United States illegally as minors.

Yet he also suggested Democrats were not acting in good faith. “We hear bullshit from the Democrats,” he complained.

He also singled out Sen. Joe Manchin Joseph (Joe) ManchinSenate passes resolution reaffirming commitment to peaceful transition of power Hopes for DC, Puerto Rico statehood rise Manchin defends Supreme Court candidate Barrett: 'It's awful to bring in religion' MORE (D-W.Va.) saying “he talks. But he doesn’t do anything.” (Manchin is one of the most endangered Democrats in the midterms, seeking reelection in a state Trump won by the huge margin of 42 points.)

Trump also took to Twitter on Friday morning to insist that there could be no deal on immigration without action on the southern border wall he promised during his campaign.

While Democrats might agree to enhanced border security of some kind as a price for a DACA fix, it seems highly unlikely that they would agree to a wall, which is anathema to much of their base.

The uncertainty about Trump’s future intentions echoes some of his 2017 moves. He excoriated Democrats for much of his first year, then suddenly embarked on a brief period of deal-making with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Cruz blocks amended resolution honoring Ginsburg over language about her dying wish MORE (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Trump signs largely symbolic pre-existing conditions order amid lawsuit MORE (D-Calif.) before returning again to a more confrontational stance.

One thing’s for sure: the president won’t be tempering his social media use anytime soon. He boasted to Schmidt about a social media audience of 158 million, although it was not clear how he was calculating that figure.

Trump is also guaranteed to be just as unpredictable in 2018 as he was during his first year.

At one point, Schmidt asked him whether he was moving more toward the political center, or at least toward an openness to deal-making.

“I’m always moving,” Trump replied. “I’m moving in both directions.”

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage, primarily focused on Donald Trump’s presidency.

-Updated 12:31 p.m.