As his circle of aides shrinks, a brooding Trump lays into Pence

Washington - Trump has repeatedly lambasted Pence, publicly and privately, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s win

US President Donald Trump has increasingly isolated himself in the White House, relying on a small group of diehard loyalists and lashing out at those who dare to cross him, including Vice President Mike Pence, said four sources familiar with the matter.

Some longtime advisers are steering clear of talking to Trump after he fired up hundreds of supporters who swarmed the US Capitol in what even fellow Republicans called a deep stain on Trump’s legacy.

The unprecedented breach of the Capitol building on Wednesday forced Pence and members of Congress to be evacuated just as they had convened to certify the 2020 election victory of President-elect Joe Biden over Trump. Four people died in the mayhem, including a woman shot by police.

“Don’t want to,” said one adviser, speaking on the condition of anonymity, when asked if there had been any recent contact with the president.

Trump has repeatedly lambasted Pence, publicly and privately, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s win, and has been seething at Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, for stating that Pence would perform his constitutional duty, the sources said.

This week Trump berated Pence to his face, one source said. The vice president’s office declined to comment.

But Republican Senator Jim Inhofe told the Tulsa World newspaper he spoke to Pence on Wednesday night.

“I’ve known Mike Pence forever,” he said. “I’ve never seen Pence as angry as he was today.”

A former senior administration official said the rift between the two men was deep and they may never speak to each other again.

Pence, a former Indiana governor and former Republican lawmaker who harbors presidential ambitions, has been loyal to Trump throughout the president’s four years in office.

A Pence adviser said “everyone around him is very proud of him” for how he performed his constitutional duty and that he had told Trump ahead of time what he planned to do.

“Mike Pence does not surprise the president. He was honest about what he was going to do,” the adviser.

Loyalists ‘egging him on’

Trump was extremely agitated on Wednesday, moving from the Oval Office to the nearby private dining room, initially energised, but increasingly angry and closed off, said one source.

Trump was not allowing staff to help craft any messages earlier in the day on Wednesday. “It’s not a controlled situation,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On Thursday, Trump, a frequent golfer who owns several courses, gave the Medal of Freedom to Hall of Fame golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player. The ceremony, normally conducted in public, took place behind closed doors.

Trump has surrounded himself with an ever-smaller group of loyalists who cater to his whims, including digital director Dan Scavino, personal aide John McEntee, trade adviser Peter Navarro, speechwriter Stephen Miller, and personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, one source said.

“It’s sad. These are the people around him and egging him on,” the source said, who also asked not to be identified.

The White House declined to comment.