Donald Trump announced Monday the official opening of the “Office of the Former President” in Palm Beach County, Florida, which is tasked with overseeing the 45th president’s official activities in his post-presidency life, CBS News reports.

“Former President Donald Trump, determined to remain a force in G.O.P. politics, is gaining new opportunities with a crucial Senate seat unexpectedly coming open in Ohio, an ally announcing for governor of Arkansas and rising pressure on Republicans in Congress who did not stand with him during this month’s impeachment vote,” the New York Times reports.

“The surprise announcement on Monday by Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that he would not seek a third term sparked a political land rush, with top strategists in the state receiving a flood of phone calls from potential candidates testing their viability. One consultant said he had received calls from five would-be candidates by midday.”

“That opening, along with another statewide contest next year in which Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to face at least one Trump-aligned primary challenger, are likely to make Ohio a central battleground for control of the Republican Party, and an inviting one for Mr. Trump, who held on to Ohio in the election while losing three other northern battleground states.”

A new Monmouth poll finds 56% of Americans approve of the House of Representatives impeaching Trump for incitement of insurrection, while 42% disapprove.

“The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed two cases over whether former President Donald Trump unlawfully profited from his businesses while in office,” CNBC reports.

“The suits, which were brought by a nonprofit as well as the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia, alleged that the former president violated the Constitution’s emoluments clauses, little-known provisions that bar presidents from receiving gifts from local or foreign governments.”

Politico: “Many other aides have left his side, eager to start anew far away from their former boss. White House aides and administration officials who once relished their West Wing perches have jetted off on remote getaways — cashing in on a mountain of unused vacation time. Others are frantically asking former colleagues for help finding work as they prioritize their own careers over whatever chapter Trump is planning for himself.”

“It’s not been easy. Tainted by Trump’s reputation, several Trump aides described an increasingly bleak job market with virtually no chance of landing jobs in corporate America and some even having seen promising leads disappear after the rampage at the U.S. Capitol. A second former White House official said they knew of “people who got jobs rescinded because of Jan. 6.'”

A Republican strategist was blunter: “They are really fucked.”

“Many once-loyal members of Mar-a-Lago are leaving because they no longer want to have any connection to former President Donald Trump,” CNN reports.

“In his last weeks in office, former President Trump considered moving to replace the acting attorney general with another official ready to pursue unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and he pushed the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate President Biden’s victory,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Those efforts failed due to pushback from his own appointees in the Justice Department, who refused to file what they viewed as a legally baseless lawsuit in the Supreme Court. Later, other senior department officials threatened to resign en masse should Mr. Trump fire then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to several people familiar with the discussions.”

“Former President Donald Trump gave nothing away about his plans for life after the White House as he dined with friends at his golf club on Friday,” the Washington Examiner reports.

Said Trump: “We’ll do something, but not just yet.”

“An aide to the former chief executive then swooped in and swiftly, but politely, ended the interaction.”

“Former President Donald Trump saw sharp revenue declines across his family businesses last year as the Covid-19 pandemic took a steep toll on the Trump Organization’s hotels and golf resorts, a marker of the many financial challenges Mr. Trump faces after leaving the White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Newly released data from the Office of Government Ethics shows that the minimum revenue generated by Mr. Trump’s businesses fell by nearly 40% from a year earlier, and declined even more at some of the company’s most lucrative properties.”

“The issues facing the Trump Organization are likely to get worse in the coming months.”

New York Times: “A large space was built for an audience that the White House had invited to see the president off. But for a man obsessed with crowd size, only about 300 people showed up, filling roughly a third of the standing area.”

“For several days, aides had tried to corral officials to come to the departure, and to bring guests. But several who remained working until the president’s final day in office said they were worn out and deeply angry over his behavior since Election Day, as he spread falsehoods about the race being stolen from him, overshadowing whatever substantive achievements they might remember. Some of his aides who had been with him the longest said they did not even watch the send-off on television.”

New York Times: “As Mr. Trump departed the White House on Wednesday, the Proud Boys, once among his staunchest supporters, have also started leaving his side. In dozens of conversations on social media sites like Gab and Telegram, members of the group have begun calling Mr. Trump a ‘shill’ and ‘extraordinarily weak,’ according to messages reviewed by The New York Times. They have also urged supporters to stop attending rallies and protests held for Mr. Trump or the Republican Party.”

“On social media, Proud Boys participants have complained about his willingness to leave office and said his disavowal of the Capitol rampage was an act of betrayal. And Mr. Trump, cut off on Facebook and Twitter, has been unable to talk directly to them to soothe their concerns or issue new rallying cries.”

Before leaving office, former President Trump signed a memorandum extending US Secret Service protection by six months for all his children, CNN reports.

“My guess is the first thing history will mention is the riots. And rightly so. Tax reform doesn’t offset armed insurrection.”

— Mick Mulvaney, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, on Donald Trump’s legacy.

Jonathan Last: “So how will Donald Trump’s presidency be remembered by history? We already know the answer: He oversaw a disastrous response to a global pandemic, because of which more than 400,000 Americans died on his watch.”

“That’s it. That’s his legacy. And if he gets a second line in the history books it will be this: He incited an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol which led to a second impeachment.”

“Anyone who tells you that Trump will be remembered for the economic expansion of the first three years of his term is a fool. History has nothing to say about the economic performance during Clinton’s eight years. The Reagan economic boom is only a footnote to his tenure. Look: Barack Obama gets almost no recognition for the economy of his final seven years and that took place the day before yesterday.”

“There is a myth around that Jared and Ivanka will be rejected socially. The rich are never rejected — until they go to prison or lose their money.”

— Tina Brown, quoted by Town & Country.