Trump returns from first overseas trip to hefty challenges

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His son-in-law is a focus of a federal investigation. His allies in Congress are increasingly nervous. His legislative agenda is stalled.

Welcome home, Mr. President.

After a nine-day overseas journey, Donald Trump returned to Washington this weekend with the knowledge that an already difficult job is about to become more challenging. Four months into his administration, Mr. Trump now faces a task familiar to several presidents before him: governing amid an ongoing scandal.

Read more: Trump son-in-law Kushner has his turn on the hot seat

The investigation into possible collusion between Mr. Trump's advisers and the Kremlin shows no signs of ending quickly – and each passing day seems to bring new and uncomfortable information to light.

Mr. Trump struck back in his usual fashion – on Twitter – early Sunday. He began by declaring his trip a "great success," but followed with tweets stating that many of the leaks coming out of the White House are "fabricated lies" made up by the "fake news media," which he called "the enemy."

Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has drawn particular attention from federal investigators for his contacts with Russian officials, according to The Washington Post. At one such meeting in December, 2016, the paper reported, Mr. Kushner suggested establishing a secret communication channel between Russia and Mr. Trump's transition team. Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee has asked Mr. Trump's campaign organization to share any and all Russia-related e-mails and phone records.

Mr. Trump's test will be to find ways to respond to the controversy without being engulfed by it. The president has retained a private lawyer to represent him in the Russia probe and is reportedly planning to set up a "war room" to co-ordinate the White House's reaction to what has become a steady stream of leaks related to aspects of the investigation. Mr. Trump is also weighing personnel changes in the West Wing, according to various reports, with the goal of improving its functioning and reducing leaks to the media.

With Congress on holiday this week, there are no legislative developments likely. Mr. Trump could generate some news of his own on Thursday, when he is expected to hold the latest of several campaign-style rallies, this time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On Monday, Mr. Trump is scheduled to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in honour of the Memorial Day holiday.

Members of prior administrations say that governing under the cloud of an ongoing investigation is stressful for any White House. Lisa Brown, a former Obama and Clinton administration official, recalled what it was like working at the height of the Lewinsky scandal, where staff laboured to stay focused on their regular jobs and not get distracted by each day's news.

At such moments, it is even more important that "the White House be seen as furthering policy – having things come out and getting things done – so there are other things to talk about besides the investigation," said Ms. Brown.

For Mr. Trump, the problem is that his legislative agenda is going sideways. The House of Representatives passed a bill to repeal and replace the health-care law enacted by former U.S. president Barack Obama, but the Senate is still months away from reaching a version of the bill it might potentially support. Administration officials vowed to implement an overhaul of the tax system by the end of the year, but that schedule now appears nearly impossible.

Making progress in Congress is difficult in regular situations. The challenge is even greater when time and energy are being absorbed by scandal – and when lawmakers from the president's own party are uneasy. "There's no question that [Republicans] are beginning to wonder if proximity to the President is good for their political careers," said a former senior Bush administration official. He described the mood among his fellow Bush-era officials as "somewhat flabbergasted," a mixture of shock and disappointment at Mr. Trump's early tenure.

John Boehner, the former Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, was blunt in his assessment at a recent energy conference, according to Reuters. Aside from foreign affairs, everything Mr. Trump has done so far "has been a complete disaster," said Mr. Boehner.

The pressure on the White House is unlikely to relent any time soon. Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed by the Justice Department, is assuming control of the federal investigation. Meanwhile, committees in Congress are moving ahead with their own probes. The former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey, has been asked to testify before lawmakers in the near future about the investigation and his dismissal by Mr. Trump on May 9.

Presidents themselves react differently when faced with scandals, said Craig Shirley, a presidential historian. Some, such as Richard Nixon, "become obsessed with [the investigation], while others are able to compartmentalize like [Ronald] Reagan," he said. "The business of the nation did not halt during the Iran-Contra affair, but the business of nation did halt during Watergate."

Mr. Trump's behaviour so far would suggest that he is more on the obsessive side of the spectrum. His growing frustration with the prominence of the Russia investigation appears to have played a central role in his decision to fire Mr. Comey – and he reportedly urged the former FBI director to drop a pivotal part of the probe.

"If the president is, as [Richard] Nixon was, so involved in his defence… it basically stops everything else dead in its tracks," said Stan Collender, an expert on budget policy who was working for a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal.

"Even if [the administration] were fully staffed up and ready to go, this would be difficult to handle," said Mr. Collender of the investigation. "I can tell you that it sucks all the wind and energy and oxygen out of the room."