"For Trump, Parnas injects uncertainty into a political environment that, until this point, he’d seen as tipping his way. The prevailing mood in the West Wing has been positive lately, according to conversations with a half dozen Republicans close to the White House.
"In the days since ordering the strike on Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, Trump has regaled friends with details of the mission as if he were narrating a scene from a Michael Bay movie.
“ 'Trump said they were watching it live,' one person who spoke with him told me. 'He described how the military officer was counting down and when he got to zero he said, ‘He’s been eliminated, Mr. President.’ '
"Trump’s optimism has also been buoyed by polling updates from 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale. According to sources, Parscale and Jared Kushner have told Trump the numbers look good.
“ 'The data is pointing in a good direction. There’s been an uptick in all the battleground states,' said a Republican who’s been briefed on the internal polls.
"According to the source, focus groups conducted by the campaign indicate that, while voters don’t like Trump personally, they’re satisfied with the economy.
“ 'In focus groups we hear things like, ‘I’m appalled by the tweets. I don’t like him, but, fuck, things are going really well. I like the policy. And no, the phone call wasn’t perfect, but it’s certainly not impeachable. My God, what are the Democrats willing to do to stop him?’
"With Trump, everything is baked in.”
vanityfair.com/news/2020/01/i…
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