Trump juggled two sex scandals and a budget this week

Like most weeks, Trump kept his communications staff and lawyers busy.

As the fallout from abuse allegations against Rob Porter — formerly one of Trump's closest aides — continued to rain down, the White House also had to reckon with another alleged affair, this time with a Playboy model in 2006. That's the same year Trump was allegedly having trysts at Trump hotels with former porn star Stormy Daniels.

Meanwhile, Trump released a budget, which included $200 billion for his long-awaited infrastructure plan.

It was a busy week, to say the least.

• Trump sent his best wishes to his former staff secretary, Rob Porter, who resigned, or was maybe fired, after his two ex-wives’ accusations of abuse came to light.
• In the middle of the night, Republican Sen. Rand Paul delayed a vote that forced the government to shut down. By 8:30 a.m. D.C. time, however, Trump tweeted that he had signed a spending bill and that “our Military will now be stronger than ever before.” Also, “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS.” Read what’s in the bill here.
• Trump officially blocked a memo written by Democrats intended to counteract a Republican-written memo that he released last week about the FBI’s supposed bias in the Russia probe.

• Accused by numerous women of sexual assault and rape, the president came down firmly on the “witch hunt” side of the #MeToo debate, as the Rob Porter scandal unfolded. “There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone,” Trump tweeted. “Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

• Trump sent his $4.4 trillion budget proposal to Congress, which would put up big money for two of his favorite things: the military and a border wall. The proposal also contains cuts to food stamps that would, in effect, regulate poor people’s diets with “Blue Apron-type” boxes of food, as Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney branded it.
• Trump also unveiled his long-awaited infrastructure plan, which takes up $200 billion of the proposed budget but claims to generate $1.5 trillion. Read about the plan here.
• After repeatedly claiming former porn star Stormy Daniels didn’t receive any hush money after her alleged affair with Trump, the president’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen admitted to paying her $130,000 out of his own pocket — which the Trump Organization and campaign hasn’t reimbursed. Daniels’ manager later said Cohen’s disclosure now allows the star to tell her side of the story.

• Some students at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Florida didn’t want to hear the “prayers and condolences” Trump offered in a tweet after a shooter killed 17 people and injured 19 others earlier in the day. “Unless you are going to do something about gun control so no one else experiences what my school has, shut the fuck up,” one person tweeted back at the president. Read what other students tweeted at him here.
• A full week after Rob Porter’s resignation, Trump finally stopped dodging the question and condemned the act of domestic violence. “I’m totally opposed to domestic violence,” the president said.
• Meanwhile, the White House is still finger-pointing over Porter never having security clearance during a year as one of Trump’s closest aides.

• After the shooting, Trump addressed the nation — and never once mentioned the word “guns”. His speech, instead, focused on the GOP’s go-to talking point after shooting: the gunman’s mental health.
• Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted his thoughts on preventing mass shootings. “Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” (The alleged shooter was reported to the FBI twice within the last five months ago and had dozens of interactions with local police.)

• Trump confirmed he would leave for Florida to meet with survivors of the shooting, after making a vague announcement about visiting the previous day.
• The president had to deal with yet another sex scandal. Trump had a nine-month affair with a Playboy model in 2006 — starting three months after the birth of son Barron — according to a report in The New Yorker. Read the 10 most jaw-dropping claims from the report here .