Trump, Upon Learning that Mueller Would Be Investigating Him: “I’m F***ed”

We are diligently working to make sense of the Mueller report, and more substantive analysis is coming, but in the meantime, here’s a juice detail from the exact moment in May 2017 when President Trump learning from then-AG Jeff Sessions that Robert Mueller had been named special counsel:

For those that can’t see the image, here’s the money quote: “Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m fucked.”

As with most things Mueller report, it’s not easy to tell exactly what this means. Was Trump upset because he knew he had done something wrong? Or was he simply furious because he knew the investigation would take a long time and eat up all kinds of oxygen, ultimately hindering his ability to act?

Either way, we know that he asked Sessions to resign in that very conversation, and Sessions prepared a resignation letter that Trump ultimately did not accept—for the time being. A year and a half later, Sessions finally resigned, and contrary to what Trump seemed to believe at the time, the investigation has not and likely will not end his presidency.