Today in Trumpworld -- June 16

TRUMP’S SCHEDULE:

9:50 a.m.: President Donald Trump will depart the White House en route to Miami, Florida.


1:10 p.m.: Trump will deliver remarks and participate in a signing on the United States’ policy towards Cuba at the Manuel Artime Theater.

2:20 p.m.: Trump will depart Miami en route to the White House.

OTHER HAPPENINGS: The press will be briefed aboard Air Force One during the flight to Miami.

TRUMP’S TWITTER THIS MORNING: “After 7 months of investigations & committee hearings about my ‘collusion with the Russians,’ nobody has been able to show any proof. Sad!”

TRUMP’S OBSESSION: From POLITICO’s Josh Dawsey: “The greatest threat to Trump and his presidency, say administration officials and outside advisers, comes from his own conduct and obsessive behavior after he took office. While congressional and FBI investigations may prove Trump or his team broke laws before he took office, his advisers say they’re more worried that the things he’s done since the inauguration may have left him exposed to obstruction of justice or other charges. Trump, for months, has bristled almost daily about the ongoing probes. He has sometimes, without prompting, injected. ‘I’m not under investigation’ into conversations with associates and allies. He has watched hours of TV coverage every day — sometimes even storing morning news shows on his TiVo to watch in the evening — and complained nonstop.”

SPEAKING OF THE INVESTIGATION: From POLITICO’s Josh Dawsey: “Aides and volunteers on Donald Trump’s presidential transition were instructed Thursday to save any records related to “several pending investigations into potential attempts by Russia interests to influence the 2016 election,” according to a memo obtained by POLITICO. In the memo from a transition lawyer, campaign officials were told to preserve all documents related to the Russian Federation, Ukraine and a number of campaign advisers and officials, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort, advisers Carter Page, Rick Gates and Roger Stone, and former national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn. The individuals cited were not immediately available for comment. None has been formally accused of any wrongdoing.”

PENCE PROFILE: From the Washington Post’s Ashley Parker: “Donald Trump’s administration did seem to be spiraling out of control, but Pence was — literally and figuratively — 1,400 miles away from the maelstrom in Washington, projecting his de facto stance of serene confidence or willful oblivion, depending on one’s perspective. Such is life for Pence, who has earned his boss’s support and confidence one laudatory and skim-milk utterance at a time. On Monday, when the president held his first full Cabinet meeting, Pence set the tone by describing working for Trump as ‘the greatest privilege of my life’ — setting off an avalanche of obsequiousness as the remaining officials took turns lavishing praise on their leader. But Pence’s political balance-beam routine is showing signs of strain, according to a portrait of the vice president culled from interviews with 17 aides, advisers, friends, allies and Republican operatives. The vice president himself declined requests for an interview.”

PENCE LAWYERS UP: From POLITICO’s Matthew Nussbaum: “Vice President Mike Pence has retained his own attorney as two congressional committees and special counsel Robert Mueller investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible ties between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Moscow. Pence has retained as outside counsel Richard Cullen, a partner at McGuire Woods, the vice president's office confirmed on Thursday.”

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