Government in action

Monday, June 4:

President Trump changed his mind about inviting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, but not before a majority of the team had decided not to attend. Trump’s reason? “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House press office. In fact, none of the Eagles “took a knee” during the anthem.

Tuesday, June 5:

"I have an absolute right to pardon myself," Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for the G-7 summit. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, responded from the Senate floor. “We don't have a king. We are a nation of laws, not men. That’s what the Founding Fathers created America all about. They didn’t like the monarchies. But if a president can pardon himself, it’s virtually a monarchy—at least as far as the president is concerned.”

The California top-two “jungle primary” concluded with Democrats still in the running for most Congressional seats. Party leaders feared—it turns out needlessly—that Democrats would eliminate one another because there were so many candidates. Republican John Cox finished second behind Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Wednesday, June 6:

House Speaker Paul Ryan weighed in on President Trump’s assertion that he had an “absolute right” to pardon himself. “Obviously, the answer is he shouldn’t, and no one is above the law,” Ryan said. Ryan also contradicted the president’s assertion that an FBI “spy” has infiltrated his campaign in 2016. Ryan said he had seen “no evidence” in support of Trump’s claim that the FBI placed a spy in his campaign, which Trump dubbed “Spygate.”

Thursday, June 7

In a move that angered Republicans and Democrats alike, President Trump removed sanctions against ZTE, the Chinese telecommunication firm the Pentagon said posed a national security risk to the United States.

Friday, June 8:

Speaking to reporters in front of the White House, President Trump floated the idea of a pardon for boxing great Muhammad Ali. "He was not very popular then; his memory is very popular now,” the president said, “I'm thinking about Muhammad Ali, I'm thinking about that very seriously." It was not immediately clear how Trump could pardon Ali, because the Supreme Court had earlier reversed the decision against Ali, erasing the conviction against him.

President Trump aggressively confronted leaders of the G-7 nations, accusing them of unfair trade with the United States. He also took the opportunity to call for readmission of Russia to the G-7. The leaders of Europe, Japan, and Canada reacted quickly and with outright anger.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged Paul Manafort, President Trump’s one-time campaign manager, with obstruction of justice. Manafort’s close associate, Konstantin V. Kilimnik was also charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice for interfering with witnesses with information about Manafort’s lobbying work in Ukraine.

Saturday, June 9:

President Trump arrived late and the G-7 meetings in Quebec City and left early, but not before upending the proceedings by refusing to sign a joint negotiated statement. His actions threatened to escalate a trade war between the United States and its closest allies. He took the unprecedented approach of attacking Canada’s prime minister as “very dishonest and weak.” Trump’s extraordinary outburst led to the collapse of the G-7 summit meeting.

Sunday, June 10:

President Trump arrived in Singapore for a first-ever meeting between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Trump refused to prepare for the upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un. If Kim makes concessions on nuclear disarmament, he is likely to require a peace agreement from the United States in return. With the whole world watching, Trump will try to forge a breakthrough in an area that has eluded several past presidents, and where he has little or no diplomatic experience.

Larry Kudlow, the White House economic advisor attacked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “double crossing” Trump with comments critical of U.S. trade policy. Kudlow told CNN’s “State of the Union” Trudeau was “polarizing’ and that he “really kind of stabbed us in the back.” It was not clear what the issue was that upset President Trump. Kudlow added that Trudeau “did a great disservice to the whole [Group of Seven (G-7)].”