As he flew home on Air Force One, however, Mr. Trump’s mood darkened, according to aides. He watched coverage of himself on a flat-screen television hung above the leather sofas in his office. He read briefing papers, then looked back at the TV. He snapped at aides, complaining that the coverage was “so negative.”
The criticism came not just from Democrats or frequent Republican antagonists like Senator John McCain of Arizona. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and a staunch defender of the president, urged Mr. Trump to clarify his statements, which he described as “the most serious mistake of his presidency.”
Several Republicans who normally defend him on television were silent. Among them was Michael Anton, the former communications director for the National Security Council, who called off a long-planned appearance on CNN because he could not “defend” how Mr. Trump had conducted himself with Mr. Putin, according to the host, Erin Burnett.
Mr. Trump’s mood on Air Force One eventually got better, and he watched some of the Home Run Derby staged in Washington as part of the All-Star Game, according to another person briefed on what took place.
But by Tuesday morning, it was clear Mr. Trump could not rely on support from even his most die-hard allies. On “Fox & Friends,” his favorite morning TV program, the host, Brian Kilmeade, spoke directly into the camera, as if assuming Mr. Trump was watching.
“From the day you came down the escalator, you shocked the world,” Mr. Kilmeade said. “From November, when everyone had you losing, you shocked the world. It wasn’t because of Russia, but Russia’s goal was to upend the electoral process. They hate democracy.”
He referred to President John F. Kennedy, saying, “Kennedy would love to have undone his first meeting with Khrushchev,” before delivering his pitch: “This is something that needs to be corrected.”