“There was no collusion with Russia,” he declared. “There was no obstruction and — none whatsoever. And it was a complete and total exoneration.” In fact, Mr. Barr’s summary quoted from Mr. Mueller’s report that “while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

For Mr. Trump, it was a deeply satisfying end to one of the most fraught weekends of his presidency. Like everyone else in the country, he had been forced to wait while in Washington, Mr. Barr and a small circle of officials at the Justice Department pored over Mr. Mueller’s report and decided what to make public.

Mr. Trump’s remarks, aides said, were an early taste of how he is likely to react to his new political reality. He plans to attend a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday evening, which will give him a platform to go on the offensive.

Mr. Trump was already at his club, Mar-a-Lago, when the special counsel submitted his findings to Mr. Barr on Friday afternoon. The lack of additional indictments was the first indication that the 22-month investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia would not be as damaging to Mr. Trump as many once feared.

Aides described Mr. Trump as generally upbeat but still preoccupied by what Mr. Barr would decide to disclose. Surrounded by White House aides, Mr. Trump was uncharacteristically silent, staying off Twitter and making no public statements.