A White House lurching from crisis to crisis appeared close to complete meltdown Friday, as Donald Trump's staff struggled to limit damage from two impulsive moves with far-reaching consequences. [...]

Officials made no effort to disguise that the decision -- which will bring legal action -- had short circuited internal deliberations and preempted the administration's own determination about whether the step was lawful. [..]

The internal blowback was swift, with renewed rumors that top economic advisor Gary Cohn -- who had been infuriated by Trump's unwillingness to condemn neo-Nazis -- was ready to walk.

Wall Street insiders -- who have embraced Trump's tax cuts and laissez faire approach to regulation -- expressed disbelief at the policy, but also disbelief at a White House that appears to have careened off the rails.