New York: In the Trump era, the constant fog of controversy can make it hard to tell the difference between a game-changing crisis and a passing irritant.

But Tuesday's guilty plea by Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen was, without question, a disaster for a President who has so far been able to survive seemingly any scandal.

This was one of Trump's worst days since he came to power.

The surest sign was his silence. Trump is known for his bellicosity and willingness to retaliate when under attack. But when confronted by reporters about Cohen pleading guilty to eight charges, he avoided the topic, as he did at a rally on Tuesday night in West Virginia. Six hours after the plea deal became public, Trump's Twitter account still had nothing to say.