--- title: How Trump Responded to Mueller Appointment: 'I'm F-cked' description: President Donald Trump's reaction to the appointment of a special counsel in May 2017 was one of shock. "Oh my God. This is terrible." canonical: https://time.com/5573385/donald-trump-mueller-reaction/ author: Alejandro de la Garza article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-18T17:59:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:52:50.780Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'I'm F-cked.' How Trump Reacted to Mueller's Appointment og:description: "This is the end of my Presidency," he said og:url: https://time.com/5573385/donald-trump-mueller-reaction/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb090d62ebf87a10e/69894892457a522afad60e4f/trump-reaction-special-counsel.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Donald J. Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'I'm F-cked.' How Trump Reacted to Mueller's Appointment twitter:description: "This is the end of my Presidency," he said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb090d62ebf87a10e/69894892457a522afad60e4f/trump-reaction-special-counsel.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'I'm F-cked.' How President Trump Reacted to Robert Mueller's Appointment > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: "This Should Never Happen to Another President Again." Trump Says about the Mueller Investigation [Watch (HLS stream): "This Should Never Happen to Another President Again." Trump Says about the Mueller Investigation](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/CLlvcFu5.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2019-04-18. "This Should Never Happen to Another President Again." Trump Says about the Mueller Investigation_  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Apr 18, 2019 5:59 PM UTC  President Donald J. Trump speaks during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Donald J. Trump speaks during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office at the White House on Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. Jabin Botsfordt—The Washington Post/Getty Images  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Apr 18, 2019 5:59 PM UTC Among the more revealing anecdotes outlined in the recently released [Mueller report](http://time.com/5567077/mueller-report-release/) was a description of President Donald Trump’s reaction to the [appointment of a special counsel](http://time.com/4783922/special-counsel-named-in-russia-probe/) in May 2017. “Oh my God. This is the terrible,” the President said, according to notes written by Jody Hunt, the chief of staff of then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f-cked.” According to the Mueller report, Trump’s reaction was a direct response to hearing that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had been appointed by then-Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. That sharp response seems to come directly at odds with the President’s repeated subsequent dismissals of the Special Counsel investigation, which he has derided as a “[witch hunt](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1114623656338944001),” while also claiming that he has [“nothing to hide.”](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia/trump-says-nothing-to-hide-from-special-counsel-mueller-idUSKCN1L40F4) In the report’s description of the May 2017 incident, the President went on to dress down Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from the investigation. The President demanded, “How could you let this happen, Jeff?” and said that the Attorney General had “let \[him\] down,” according to the report. Sessions himself also recalled the Trump saying to him “you were supposed to protect me” or something to that effect, according to the report. Trump also lamented the consequences of the special counsel’s appointment for his presidency, saying, “Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5573385/donald-trump-mueller-reaction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5573385/donald-trump-mueller-reaction/"},"headline":"'I'm F-cked.' 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