It all started Thursday morning, when the President started notifying members of Congress he was considering taking military action in Syria. By 4 pm ET Trump had ordered the strikes, making the call from his "Southern White House."
Here's a breakdown of how it all went down Thursday, including everything from what Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ate for dinner to when he finally revealed the news of the missile strike:
President Trump's airstrikes in Syria in response to Tuesday's chemical weapons attack will continue to have political repercussions. Here's the latest on that situation:
President Trump's message to his feuding inner circle during a Thursday summit at Mar-a-Lago was blunt, according to a source with direct knowledge: "You guys are close. Knock it off. Work together."
The extraordinary presidential intervention, amid war planning on Syria, was aimed at resetting a West Wing consumed with palace intrigue as Trump closes in on his administration's 100-day mark.
Additional security detail for Betsy DeVos, Trump's education secretary, could cost up to $7.8 million through September, government officials said Friday, per AP.
The details: After protestors blocked DeVos from entering a public high school in Washington, D.C., in February, she was put under additional security protection, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service. Past education secretaries have had security detail as well.
Why it matters: The Department of Education is reportedly footing the bill through a reimbursement to the Marshals Service, AP noted.
Don't forget: Trump's proposed budget plan for 2018 called for a $9 billion cut to the Education Department.
"Trump drops China bashing during warm Xi summit," by AFP's Andrew Beatty in Palm Beach: "The friendly tone was a far cry from Trump's acerbic campaign denouncements ... Xi reciprocated Trump's warm words, saying the summit had 'uniquely important significance.'"
"Beijing's most powerful leader in decades also invited the neophyte US president on a coveted state visit to China later in the year. Trump accepted, with a date yet to be determined."
"The bonhomie extended behind closed doors, where the US president's grandson and granddaughter sang a traditional Chinese ballad — 'Jasmine Flower' — and recited poetry for their honored guests, earning praise from their 'very proud' mother Ivanka in a tweet."
"There appeared to be little in the way of concrete achievements during 24 hours in the sun, but officials said that a rapport had been built that will carry on the next four years. The US leader appeared confident.
From the White House readout: "President Trump noted the importance of adhering to international rules and norms in the East and South China Seas and to previous statements on non-militarization. He also noted the importance of protecting human rights and other values deeply held by Americans."
Steve Bannon, the engine and soul of President Trump's hard-edged approach to his first months in office, is increasingly isolated and will be forced out unless he can adopt a more cooperative approach, a top source told me.
On both style and substance, Bannon got crosswise with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who are pushing for a more competence- and results-driven focus for the West Wing.
In their view, Bannon is too inclined to want to burn things down and blow things up. They want a more open process driven by the interests of the president, not ideology.
A senior official said Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is "with the program" of a more inclusive style, and will stay. Insiders have been feverishly discussing possible replacements and Trump considered a change, but the official said: "Reince is staying."
The far right broke out on social media to express distaste for Trump's decision to launch airstrikes in Syria in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of banned chemical weapons against its citizens earlier this week.
Why the resistance? Because it is "the most legally doubtful use of military force by a NATO state in recent history," as Craig Forcese, Professor of security and public international law at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, puts it. There are two instances where a state can use force against another: for self-defense or when the Security Council authorizes it.
Seriously, where do we even start with week 11 in Trumpland? It's been so crazy that even POTUS himself has lost track of time, calling his time in office so far "one of the most successful 13 weeks in the history of the presidency" on Thursday. You can't blame him for getting confused because it sure feels like 13 weeks. Or maybe 13 years? After all, Chuck Todd did joke this week at an Axios event that Trump might still be president in 2032…
Politico scoops that President Trump is wading into the fight between his top aides, Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon, by overseeing a meeting in Mar-a-Lago:
The sit-down, which was confirmed by two White House officials, was an attempt to smooth over tensions between the two men, which have dominated headlines for days. Whether the meeting was successful in creating a détente – and how long it lasts – is an open question, especially in a White House that has been dominated by infighting.
