President
Donald Trump's initial racist jab at a foursome of Democratic congresswomen came as a surprise -- and not a pleasant one -- to many of his aides, who began texting about how to defend their boss' tweets minutes after he fired them off.
Three days later, the shock has faded and the tweet is being used to frame a long-term political strategy.
Trump views his attacks on the four congresswomen of color as an unbridled political success, people familiar with his thinking say, and plans to continue his efforts as he moves into a period of politicking.
Despite initial queasiness from some aides at the overtly racist implications of Trump's attacks on the minority lawmakers,
most now say the President's tactic of tying the liberal "squad" to the larger Democratic Party is a winning tactic. Many have come to his defense,
declaring him correct in his view that critics of the United States should move somewhere else.
In meetings at the White House this week, Trump and his aides have devised talking points to continue his attacks and defend against accusations of racism.
The topic has overtaken West Wing policy sessions as Trump looks to harness what he views as political momentum.
The President has arrived to his last two public appearances prepared to redouble his attacks and escalate his rebuke of the lawmakers:
Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
He carried a bulleted list of talking points to an event on American manufacturing on Monday (though didn't stick to it).
During a Cabinet meeting a day later, he pointed to a document he said contained "a list of things here said by the congresswomen that is so bad, so horrible, that I almost don't want to read it."
