When it has come to scandals, Donald Trump has always been able to tweet his way around them. His supporters are all that matter, it is they who will bring him a second term in the White House the president believes.

The problem with that is that with public impeachment hearings set to get underway soon, a narrative that the White House has struggled to control will likely only slip further from their grasp. Trump remains bullish, he told reporters on Sunday that the public at large "don't want to hear about impeachment" with the only ones wanting to see it on the news are the "fake media and the Democrats".

So far, so very Trump. But the foundation of the president's confidence is not quite as strong as it was during the Robert Mueller inquiry and any other troubles Trump has faced during his presidency. From the White House, to Republicans, to the administration as a whole - the chickens are coming home to roost. Trump has spent years hiring and firing, with little regard for filling some important posts across the State Department and other areas of his administration.

The president will say it is part of his appeal, acting decisively to clear dead wood. In reality it has left an administration increasingly reliant on key staff, with little succession planning and not much of a cushion to fall back upon. Trump has relied on Republican proxies to get across his message, many of whom have chosen to go silent as the number of administration officials testifying to Congress continues to grow.

Inside the White House, key personnel and departments have proven to be nowhere near as strong as the president needs them to be. Trump's legal team has been essentially peripheral since an attempt in early October, to advise House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, that the White House would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. The eight-page letter, written by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, was torn apart by experts as poorly argued (in the most optimistic of readings). Over at the State Department, Mike Pompeo also may a show of resisting - before being forced to hand over documents. From a legal standpoint, things have been quiet since.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

When it comes to battling the media, Stephanie Grisham, who leads the White House communications team, has fallen back on repeating that Trump has done nothing wrong. “The president has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it,” Ms Grisham said after Thursday’s vote to set the rules for public hearings. “Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats’ unhinged obsession with this illegitimate impeachment proceeding does not hurt President Trump; it hurts the American people.” However, Trump's Twitter feed does a better job of broadcasting that particular stance.

Ms Grisham is not even using the full set of tools at her disposal. Trump has long since abandoned the idea of the daily press briefing from the White House. One of a number of traditions that has fallen by the wayside during the incumbency of the 45th president. But even if it was not entirely the purpose it was supposed to be used for, team Trump is missing a trick by not reinstating them. Surely a pulpit from which to drum home the Trump message every 24 hours is exactly one of the things that the president needs right now?

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Actually, what the White House needs is someone to take on what is now just crisis PR. Reportedly senior adviser Jared Kushner - the president's son-in-law - is one of those in charge of shaping the White House impeachment strategy. But, not unlike the grand Middle East peace plan that Kushner is supposed to be formulating, there appears to be little strategy. Yes Trump knows he can rely on his base. But that may not be enough in 2020 if Democrats continue to build up a head of steam regarding the impeachment investigation.