President Trump on Thursday surprised reporters in Washington by failing to speak at length about special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, a document he has framed as a clear vindication.
One day before the report’s release, Trump teased the possibility of staging his own press conference about the Russia probe after Attorney General William Barr’s, telling WMAL Radio “maybe I’ll do one after that. We’ll see.”
But Trump did not stage a formal news conference, nor did he come over to address a massive scrum of reporters gathered on the South Lawn to witness his departure on Marine One en route to Palm Beach, Fla., as he often does.
Instead, he walked alongside first lady Melania Trump and waved to a group of staffers and guests before getting on the presidential helicopter.
He also did not speak to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base before boarding Air Force One for his Easter weekend getaway.
Many in Washington expected Trump to take an extended victory lap after the release of the Mueller report in an attempt to influence the wall-to-wall media coverage of its findings.
But a session with reporters could have forced him to answer pointed questions about some of his conduct during the probe, such as his attempt to fire Mueller as special counsel.
He left White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, other aides and his personal lawyers to answer those questions.
The president did address the report’s findings, but only briefly, saying at an event for wounded military service members that he was “having a good day” and reiterating his stance the report found “no collusion. No obstruction.”
Trump also celebrated on Twitter while targeting federal investigators and Democrats, posting a photo inspired by the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones” showing him staring into a fog behind the statement: “No collusion. No obstruction. For the haters and the radical left Democrats—Game Over.”