Russia 'preparing psychological report on Donald Trump' for Vladimir Putin
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russia-donald-trump-psychological-report-naivety-risk-taking-kremlin-vladimir-putin-a7590286.html
A psychological report on Donald Trump is being prepared for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, it has been claimed.
It is set to conclude the former reality TV star has a tendency to take risks and that he has a naive world view, according to a senior adviser to the Kremlin.
Mr Trump "doesn't understand fully who is Mr Putin — he is a tough guy", former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov told NBC.
The dossier is reportedly being prepared ahead of the first official meeting between the two leaders, the date of which is yet to be confirmed.
Inside the Kremlin "very serious preparatory work" was taking place that included a seven-page dossier on the mentality of the Republican, he added.
The decision to prepare such a detailed psychological profile of a US leader is unusual, according to NBC.
Mr Trump has been battling negative press coverage over his campaign's ties to Russia.
Mr Federov said the issue of the former Soviet state had become "a kind of banana skin for Trump — that's why we should avoid any kind of step that could damage Trump".
A meeting between the two leaders is possible ahead of a G20 summit in July, the Kremlin said.
The two men have never met, but both have said they want to work to repair damaged US-Russia relations, which took a battering after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.
Trump administration 'had a secret plan to lift Russian sanctions' and cede Ukraine territory to Moscow
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russia-sanctions-secret-plan-ukraine-michael-cohen-a7590441.html
Donald Trump is no longer the shortest-serving US President in history
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-shortest-serving-us-presidents-day-william-henry-harrison-james-garfield-a7590101.html
Donald Trump has reached a landmark in his presidency. The property mogul, who is the first person to be elected as US President with zero government or military experience, is not going to be the shortest-serving President in US history.
Mr Trump has served 32 days as President of the United States as of February 20. Despite the fact Mr Trump’s first month has been plagued with controversy - his national security advisor Michael Flynn resigned, the President suffered multiple defeats in federal court over his immigration ban and numerous staff leaks – he has managed to hold on to power.
This means Mr Trump has crossed the benchmark set by William Harry Harrison, the ninth US President who died 31 days after taking office in 1841. Researchers initially thought he died as a direct consequence of getting pneumonia after delivering the longest inauguration address, 8,445 words, in US history in freezing temperatures. However, recent evidence suggests he died after contracting typhoid from the White House’s water supply.
If he lasts another six months, Mr Trump will survive James Garfield who died 200 days after he took office and became America’s second-shortest-serving President. Garfield was shot by an assassin in Washington in July of 1881 and died in September of that year.
Professor Ronald L Feinman, a leading historian and author, recently predicted Mr Trump, who is 70, would stay in the job "between the 31 days of William Henry Harrison in 1841" and the "199 days of James Garfield".
Even if his time in the corridors of power is "dragged out", Professor Feinman predicted the billionaire property developer is not likely to last the 16 months and five days of 12th President Zachary Taylor, who died of a digestive ailment in 1850.
The 20th-century American history professor, who recently wrote a book about the unfortunate destinies of American leaders, said he thought the “Pence Presidency” was inevitable. This is a reference to US Vice President, Mike Pence, who would take over if Mr Trump was to leave the White House.
“The fact that Vice President Mike Pence played a major role in pushing Flynn out is a sign that Pence is already asserting himself with Trump,” he said in a blog post.
He said he thought it was likely Mr Trump will be impeached or forced to resign in a matter of weeks.
No US president has ever been successfully impeached and removed from the White House. Despite the fact there were attempts to remove Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, both were acquitted by the Senate in the end. Richard Nixon stepped down before he could be impeached for serious wrongdoing in the Watergate scandal.
Mr Trump’s approval rating a month into his presidency is at a historical low compared to past presidents. According to a new poll by Gallup, Mr Trump currently has a 40 per cent job approval rating. New US leaders tend to enjoy a spike in their popularity rating after taking office but Mr Trump’s rating is 21 points lower than the average of 61 per cent.