Donald Trump's famously undisciplined White House is under further chaos due to the president's decisions on the world stage.
"Tonight the jarring chaos currently under way. Financial markets roiling amid a trade war. Stocks on the Dow plunging over 600 points as China hits us back on tariffs," MSNBC anchor Brian Williams reported.
"Then tonight we learned about contingencies for U.S. Troops going to war with Iran as the president says, 'we’ll see what happens.' Plus, Trump plans a new meeting with Putin, Rod Rosenstein takes aim at Jim Comey, and Trump’s own FBI director appears to be his next big target," he continued.
For analysis, the host turned to New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker.
"Well, you read off the list of stories you just did and you feel like you’re caught in the middle of a hurricane," Baker explained. I"n Washington we have a name for it, it’s called Monday. We just — this presidency time and time again you just see so many things happening all at once, it’s hard to get your head around any one thing."
"We’re in a tariff war with China. We may be in a shooting war with Iran. We are obviously in a political war between the president and Congress," he explained.
"You know, how do you settle which of these things is the most important to follow?" he wondered. "It’s bewildering and perplexing for people, policymakers, as well as journalists who are trying to sort of get their thumbs on what this presidency is all about."
"The long-term thing is probably the China thing, probably the tariff war, because hat goes to the heart of his presidency which is to say Economics. The thing that is going to lift him or not in next year’s election may be the economy. He does have a good economy going right now. It’s kept him going through all the different scandals and all these different controversies," Baker explained. "People look at their own pocketbooks. But whether that is going to stay the same if we continue to be in this war over trade with China is a big, open question."
Watch: