Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker at WP:
The two months between Independence Day and Labor Day offered a fresh and vivid portrait of the president as seen by Trump’s critics — incompetent, indecisive, intolerant and ineffective.
White House officials promote the summer of 2019 as one of historic achievement for Trump, offering up a list of more than two dozen accomplishments. But privately, many of the president’s advisers and outside allies bemoan what they consider to be a period of missed opportunity and self-sabotage.
In the final lull before the 2020 campaign starts to intensify this fall, Trump could have worked strategically to solidify his position and broaden his appeal. Instead, his words and actions this summer served to further divide the country and to harden public opinion about the ever-polarizing president.
Still long ways to go, but Trump is polling worse against his potential Dem challengers than any prez incumbent was against eventual general election opponent @ this pt in campaign since at least WWII. https://t.co/jtSvqLB0pb pic.twitter.com/aPbTwZ4aYx— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) September 1, 2019
Great example of why it's idiotic to give Trump credit for press "access" like this. He clearly has no clue what the FARC is, but because he takes questions with a helicopter engine running, he just spouts bullshit and there's no chance to follow up. https://t.co/nnFcKEVPmr— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) September 2, 2019
