Throughout his political career, President Trump has perfected his ability to command media attention through incendiary statements and made-for-headlines announcements. He has also mastered shifting blame to his subordinates and political opponents, turning the public spotlight to his benefit.

But the last two weeks have tested this well-worn strategy as Mr. Trump has tried to pivot attention away from his administration’s decision to close the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. He has also sought to distance himself from Mr. Epstein after new reports in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times detailed their past relationship.

Here’s a timeline of the president’s remarks on the scandal, and his various approaches to move on from it:

July 22

In his most recent attempts to redirect the conversation from Mr. Epstein, the president has unleashed a barrage of attacks against former President Barack Obama — an old but reliable target for Mr. Trump. For years, Mr. Trump promoted the lie that Mr. Obama was not legitimately elected because he was not born in the United States, a publicity stunt that significantly raised his profile in the Republican Party ahead of his 2016 run for president.

On Tuesday, during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on trade issues, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Obama of treason, and said that the time had come for his opponents to face criminal charges.

Later that evening, during a reception with Republican members of Congress, Mr. Trump renewed his attacks against Mr. Obama, falsely claiming he had used deception in the 2016 election. He also plainly stated his intent to use the attacks against the former president as a means to distract reporters and deflect from negative news coverage, suggesting to his fellow Republicans that they respond to “inappropriate” questions by reporters by saying, “Oh by the way, Obama cheated on the election.”