Mostly you can find Donald Trump, if the weather permits, at one of his golf courses at the weekend. The US President spent almost four hours on Saturday at his club on the Potomac River just outside Washington. But on Sunday, Trump bunkered in the private residence of the White House. He dropped dozens of tweets from there, a record even for him - mostly retweets of friendly comments or reflex reactions to the Fox News live program.
Nobody knows what's going on in Trump. But it is clear: the pressure in the whistleblower scandal is increasing. This week is likely to be dominated by new revelations, which are no longer so easy to be smashed. The Ukrainian economy is developing into a political time bomb, which is inexorably ticking on.
Trump's recent report spoiled the presidential Sunday breakfast: There is not just a whistleblower.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Trump returned from his golf trip back to the White House on Saturday
His law firm now represents a second informant in the matter, explained the lawyer Mark Zaid. He is already advising the first whistleblower to file a complaint against Trump, paving the way for a potential impeachment trial.
The new person has "first-hand knowledge" of Trump's alleged abuse of power, Zaid said. His client has also spoken to Michael Atkinson, the Inspector General of Intelligence - which suggests that this informant is also a member of the CIA or another US intelligence agency.
Maybe it's even more. Zaid's colleague Andrew Bakaj confirmed in a text message to US journalists that there are indeed "several" whistleblowers. When asked if it was more than two, he wrote: "No comment."
Mark Wilson / Getty Images
The next revelation is sure to come: whistleblower lawyer Zaid
This confirms earlier reports that the allegations against Trump are more widely documented than by a single, anonymous informant who could easily be discredited.
According to the New York Times, the second person has insider knowledge of Trump's July telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj: Trump is said to have pressured him to investigate his domestic rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
More about the second whistleblower has not been announced. "Keep it up!", Trump tweeted on Saturday evening in advance about the new informant, whom he described as a member of the "Deep State".
"Whistleblower" got my phone conversation almost completely wrong, so now "Whistleblower" is coming in from the Deep State, so with second hand info. Meet with Shifty. Keep them coming!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2019Such reactions are part of Trump's scandal script. First he denies, then he denigrates his accusers as enemies of the people, then he blames the blame on others. And finally, he claims there was nothing bad about it. With this mixture of lies, deception and manipulation he has been able to save himself from all scandals, especially through the Russian affair.
Trump's youngest Ukraine scapegoat is energy minister Rick Perry, who wants to retire practically at the end of the year: Perry had pushed him to the Selenskyj call - on the other hand, nothing could be faulted.
At the same time, however, Trump sends Justice Minister William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo around the world to chase unconfirmed conspiracy theories, not only on Biden and Ukraine, but also on alleged misdeeds of the US intelligence agencies in the Russian affair, of which he hopes campaigning ammunition.
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Trump knows that the truth is irrelevant: just the repetition of his conspiracy theories in the media ensures that they settle. He also succeeded in his lie, Barack Obama was not born in the US - a lie that cemented his political career.
Whether he trusts the CIA or the FBI, Republican Ron Johnson was asked on Sunday on NBC. His shocking answer: "No, no, absolutely not."
Nevertheless, the threat of impeachment Trump changes the bill. Unlike the Russian affair, the Ukraine scandal is so rapidly picking up speed that neither the White House nor the Republicans can compete. Trump defends himself as a crazy lone fighter - and helps himself little: The polls tilt to his detriment, and even with the hitherto loyal Republicans grow the doubts about his strategy.
Trump is trying not only to counter this with tweets, but also with rallies to cheering supporters - this Thursday in Minnesota, on Friday in Louisiana. "The crowds and the enthusiasm," he promised his fans on the weekend, "will be bigger than you can imagine".