According to multiple articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN the mystery over Trump and Russia is threatening to derail his presidency, with accusations and hysteria overwhelming his White House and destroying his credibility. According to CNN,

Washington has become a hall of mirrors, where it’s impossible to distinguish between rumor and fact as conspiracy theories and partisan paroxysms rage — all arising from an alleged Russian spy plot to sway last year’s election that is now clouding the new administration.

The White House is finding it impossible to put to rest claims it has improper ties to Russia. Often, President Trump himself reignites the drama — apparently to his detriment — as with his sensational claim Saturday that his predecessor Barack Obama tapped his phones.

From SNL‘s hilarious send-up of Jeff Sessions as Forest Gump on Saturday night to the round of political shows Sunday morning to Seth Meyers daily take-down of Trump, the “Russia thing” is all anyone is thinking or talking about on social media or at dinner tables across the country.

CNN goes on to say,

“Some observers have also meanwhile wondered why the White House does not simply list all the meetings top Trump aides have held with Russians to avoid the damaging litany of disclosures.

Inside the White House and among Trump supporters outside, there is a strong belief that the President is the victim of an orchestrated campaign of leaks to undermine his authority and discredit his election victory.
The President himself claimed there was a “witch hunt” against him last week.

Given his feud with the intelligence agencies since he won the election, it’s not farfetched to think that disgruntled spy sources sense an opportunity to hurt the President by cooperating with journalists.
There’s also a final reason why the Russia scandal is not going to end any time soon.

Democrats have a clear political incentive to prolong a situation which is helping to unify them, to slow Trump’s agenda by bogging the White House down with investigations and to present the President in a scary light.”

With the SCROTUS’s Twitter rant about Obama tapping his phones and the secret footage shot through the windows of the Oval Office, that “scary light” is coming from inside the White House. Given Trump’s limited experience and interests, is it any wonder that our entire country has been transformed into a reality show?

But the ratings for that reality show are NOT looking good. According to The Washington Post, 58% of the country is embarrassed by Trump. He’s now being talked about for all the wrong reasons.

“For those interested in seeking adulation and acclaim, it’s easy to see why running for president might hold appeal. For a year, two years, you get to be one of the most-talked about people in the most powerful country in the world; on the off-chance that your bid is successful, you then get to extend that attention streak for four more years. That’s six years, minimum, that the country — if not the world — is holding you at the forefront of its attention and consideration.

But there is a downside: The country may not like what it sees.

Note, as will be the case throughout these results, that there’s a wide partisan split on this question. Democrats almost uniformly describe themselves as embarrassed. Republicans describe themselves as proud. (According to the pollsters, those feelings are strong among those who describe themselves as stronger partisans, too.) Overall, though, thanks in part to a majority of independents saying that they’re embarrassed…”

Stay tuned, embarrassed Americans, it’s bound to get weirder!

(Photos, Getty; via CNN)