Former Trump administration officials are concerned about the president's behavior in recent days, speculating that his increasingly erratic outbursts are linked to private worries that a recession in the US could torpedo his chances of reelection in 2020, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
In recent weeks Trump has generated almost daily controversies, several of which came to a head this week.
The past four days have seen him claim to be the "second coming" of God, attack Denmark's prime minister over her refusal to consider selling Greenland, and question the loyalty of Jews who vote for the Democratic Party.
Here's a snapshot of the president's comments so far this week:
On Wednesday, Trump described Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as "nasty," having previously canceled a visit to Denmark after she dismissed his proposal to buy Greenland as "absurd." Trump later attacked Denmark, a NATO ally, on Twitter over its military spending. Earlier Wednesday, Trump quoted a right-wing conspiracy theorist who claimed that Israeli Jews saw him as the "second coming" and the "King of Israel." In remarks to reporters at the White House later in the day, Trump described himself as the "chosen one" in the trade war against China. On Tuesday, Trump used an anti-Semitic trope in questioning the loyalty of Jews who voted for Democrats. He doubled down on the view in remarks to reporters Wednesday.
—POLITICO (@politico) August 21, 2019
The unnamed former officials who spoke with The Times said these outbursts were most likely linked to fears from Trump that the US economy was weakening and might slip into recession in 2020, which could damage his chances of reelection.
Read more: Trump appeared to misunderstand the definition of a recession while arguing that the US having one was a price worth paying
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Several reports in recent days have suggested that economic data indicating a recession may be looming has rattled Trump — who has based his case for reelection on the strong performance of the US economy during his presidency.
