Trump’s Showdown

Head-spinning events during President Trump’s first two years in office are at the center of this summary of a "White House at war" that was filmed before the midterm elections and resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Directed by Michael Kirk, this PBS-aired Frontline documentary examines Donald Trump’s ongoing battles with special counsel Robert Mueller, Sessions, the intelligence community, and, some would say, truth itself. Trump proudly claims to be a counter-puncher, a trait he learned from lawyer Roy Cohn, who was once an adviser to Communist-baiting Senator Joe McCarthy. The documentary notes that a lot of White House efforts involve keeping the president "within the box," controlling Trump’s temper and visceral reactions to the sprawling investigations in the wake of concerns over Russia’s role in tampering with the 2016 elections. Topics include the infamous dossier that helped kickstart the Russia probe, the establishment of Mueller’s investigation, and Trump’s fury over Session’s decision to recuse himself from oversight. As might be expected, questions here are raised about Trump’s tweets, firings, demands for loyalty, and repeated claims of a witch hunt, as well as the role of the Fox TV opinion shows, and recent revelations about Trump’s one-time "fixer" Michael Cohen. In the end, the film notes that Trump is intent on "becoming his own Roy Cohn," vigorously defending himself from all critics. A solid time capsule look at Trump’s first two years in office, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)