Why Trump changes his tune after aides convince him to stick to a script as Republicans defect

A very high-ranking Trump White House official once told me the key to the president's behavior. It happens when his advisors talk him into something that he doesn't particularly want to do. The next time he's around reporters, this person says, President Trump will blurt out what he really thinks. He'll either walk it back, soften the language, create confusion or flatly contradict what he said a couple of days before. It's his way of rebelling against being handled. And, of course, he'll lash