As the nation becomes violently unglued, the T-Rump is finally feeling some of the distaste the country has for him — interesting situation as relayed by the New York Times this afternoon:

Inside the White House, the mood was bristling with tension.
Hundreds of protesters were gathering outside the gates, shouting curses at President Trump and in some cases throwing bricks and bottles.
Nervous for his safety, Secret Service agents abruptly rushed the president to the underground bunker used in the past during terrorist attacks.

The scene on Friday night, described by a person with firsthand knowledge, added to the sense of unease at the White House as demonstrations spread after the brutal death of a black man in police custody under a white officer’s knee.
While in the end officials said they were never really in danger, Mr. Trump and his family have been rattled by protests that turned violent two nights in a row near the Executive Mansion.

After days in which the empathy he expressed for George Floyd, the man killed, was overshadowed by his combative threats to ramp up violence against looters and rioters, Mr. Trump spent Sunday out of sight, even as some of his campaign advisers were recommending that he deliver a nationally televised address before another night of possible violence.
The building was even emptier than usual as some White House officials planning to work were told not to come in case of renewed unrest.

And really:

While Mr. Trump has been a focus of anger, particularly in the crowds in Washington, aides repeatedly have tried to explain to him that the protests were not only about him, but about broader, systemic issues related to race, according to several people familiar with the discussions.
Privately, Mr. Trump’s advisers complained about his tweets, acknowledging that they were pouring fuel on an already incendiary situation.

In a turbulent time, the T-Rump is turbulent. He’s a scared little shit.

And also about that ‘bunker’ in the Times story:

It was not clear what specifically prompted the Secret Service to whisk Mr. Trump to the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, as the underground bunker is known, but the agency has protocols for protecting the president when the building is threatened.
Vice President Dick Cheney was brought to the bunker on Sept. 11, 2001, when the authorities feared one of the planes hijacked by Al Qaeda was heading toward the White House.
President George W. Bush, who was out of town until that evening, was rushed there later after a false alarm of another plane threat.

The bunker has not been used much, if at all, since those early days of the war on terrorism, but it has been hardened to withstand the force of a passenger jet crashing into the mansion above.
The president and his family were rattled by their experience on Friday night, according to several advisers.

After his evening in the bunker, Mr. Trump emerged on Saturday morning to boast that he never felt unsafe and vow to sic “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons” on intruders.
Melania Trump, anxious about the protests, opted at the last minute not to travel to Florida for the rocket launch on Saturday.

Melania knows her old man is really, really disliked, and is a chickenshit.

Heard this today for the first time in a way-long time — seemed to express the avoure of the moment (h/t Susie):

‘I picked up my bag
I went looking for a place to hide….’

(Illustration by illustrator and portrait painter, Tim O’Brien, and can be found here).