'King Chaos': Trump and aides navigate a White House cauldron

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump tries a hand in comedy at Gridiron Dinner Here's a look at some of President Trump's memorable one-liners from his debut at a Washington press dinner, known as the Gridiron Dinner, where not every joke got a laugh.

WASHINGTON — Even President Trump himself is joking about chaos in his administration.

"It’s been really another calm week at the White House," Trump cracked during a high-profile press dinner Saturday night in Washington. "We finally have it running like a fine-tuned machine. ... It’s fine-tuned."

Amid investigations, surprising White House departures, and staff in-fighting over items ranging from tariffs and security clearances, the president is also sending out mixed signals over issues like guns, immigration and even the emotional state of his 14-month-old presidency.

During his comedy routine at the Gridiron Club, a group of journalists best known for its annual dinner featuring comedic skits and speeches by politicians from both parties, Trump even invoked his wife in a joke about rumored resignations at the White House.

"Now the question everyone keeps asking is, ‘Who’s going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania?'" Trump said.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the Democratic speaker at the Gridiron, got in on the joke by saying Trump could attend a Mardi Gras-style parade dressed as "King Chaos." (Trump laughed.)

Every week seems to bring new disputes and controversies to the White House.

In the coming days, Trump has meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Cabinet, and various officials as he confronts challenges like North Korea's nuclear weapons program and possible backlash over his tariff announcement. He is also planning to attend a political rally Saturday for a congressional candidate in western Pennsylvania.

Some White House aides said tales of chaos and confusion are overblown and irrelevant to their agenda.

"If I've learned anything in the 14 months here in Washington, on the White House, it's that there's all sorts of malicious leaks" designed to "hurt us," said Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro on Fox News Sunday, commenting on claims of mutiny over new proposed tariffs.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, appearing on NBC's Meet The Press, pushed back on reports that Trump is often angry at how things are going.

"His state of mind is fine," Ross said. "If you went to the Gridiron last night, which I did and others did, he was very relaxed, he was self-deprecating, he had some very good humorous lines. I don't see any problem with his behavior at all."

For his part, Trump tweeted Sunday: "The Gridiron Dinner last night was great fun. I am accomplishing a lot in Washington and have never had a better time doing something, and especially since this is for the American People!"

The Gridiron Dinner last night was great fun. I am accomplishing a lot in Washington and have never had a better time doing something, and especially since this is for the American People! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2018

More: Trump mocks media — and himself — at Gridiron Dinner

More: This week in Trump: Guns, steel and the loss of Hope

Trump's monologue capped an especially wild week, even by the standards of this hyper-kinetic administration:

• Jared Kushner, a top White House aide as well as the president's son-in-law, saw his security clearance downgraded, amid reports that he is feuding with Chief of Staff John Kelly. Business dealings linked to Kushner and his family continue to draw scrutiny from investigative reporters, to the point where Trump joked about his son-in-law at the Gridiron: "You know, we were late tonight because Jared could not get through security."

• White House communications director Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest and longest-serving confidantes, unexpectedly announced she would be leaving soon. Aides described Hicks as a calming influence on the often volatile Trump, a quality that will be missed after her departure.

• At a meeting with members of Congress, two weeks after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., Trump appeared to embrace gun control measures favored by Democrats and opposed by the National Rifle Association. At one point, Trump suggested taking guns from accused felons in advance of due process.

In subsequent days, White House aides sought to walk back Trump's comments.

Earlier in the week, Trump raised eyebrows by describing some local deputies who responded to the Parkland shooting as cowards, and claiming that he would have run into the high school building to try and stop the shooting, even without a weapon.

• After aides had previously said Trump would announce tariffs on steel and aluminum on Thursday, they said early that day that there would be no announcement after all. The tariff story, long the subject of dispute among Trump aides, kept changing throughout the morning.

In the end, Trump called reporters into a meeting with industry executives to say he would place 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% tariffs on aluminum imports. The president said he would sign paperwork detailing these plans this week.

Gary Cohn, a top White House economic adviser, had threatened to resign if Trump imposed tariffs. It is not known whether he will follow through.

In the face of criticism that other countries would retaliate with their own tariffs on American goods, raising prices for all consumers, Trump triggered another kerfuffle with a Friday tweet saying that trade wars are "good" and "easy to win."

As happens every week, a number of Trump tweets generated controversy last week.

One primary target: The investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into any links between Trump's presidential campaign in 2016 and Russians who sought to influence that election through email hacks and fake news.

In one tweet, Trump again denounced the Russia probe as a "WITCH HUNT." In another, he again attacked his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, whom he blames for Mueller's appointment because Sessions recused himself from the case early last year. (At the Gridiron Dinner, Trump said of Sessions: "I offered him a ride over and he recused himself.")

Over the last month, the White House has seen the dismissal of Staff Secretary Rob Porter over spousal abuse allegations and reports — denied by Trump and others — that national security adviser H.R. McMaster is on his way out.

Meanwhile, Trump and the White House brace for the coming week

It began Sunday when CNN obtained a copy of Trump's remarks to a closed fundraiser in Florida that included a joke about a foreign leader: China President Xi Jinping, who recently removed term limits for his post.

"He's now president for life," Trump said of Xi, adding: "I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."