For Donald Trump, There Are Sycophants and Enemies, and No in Between

[DonViejo]

Trump has made it clear: The midterms were not a rebuke, they were a call to arms.

Matt Lewis
11.09.18 5:14 AM ET

Midterm losses for an incumbent president are almost inevitable. But if you’re looking for someone to blame for the Republican Party’s showing on Tuesday, it’s Donald Trump. And if you want to understand what makes him tick, just consider his behavior the first 24 hours after his party lost control of the House, but performed well in the Senate.

Whether he was feeling cornered and defensive about the losses, or emboldened by his Senate victories, the real Donald Trump was on full display Wednesday. It was manifested through his unchivalrous comments about losing Republican candidates, his firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the confrontation with CNN’s Jim Acosta.

Let’s start with his treatment of losing Republicans. Most presidents opt to throw themselves under the bus for the sake of the party. If hugging an unpopular and vulnerable congressman in a given district would help, the president shows up. If attacking the incumbent president helps the vulnerable congressman, they may grant him or her permission to do so. Either way, once the smoke clears, there are no reprisals, just magnanimity and sacrifice on behalf of the team.

In Donald Trump’s world, he is the team.

“Mia Love gave me no love and she lost,” Trump said regarding Utah Rep. Mia Love’s apparent loss on Tuesday.

“Barbara Comstock was another one. I think she could have won that race, but she didn’t want to have any embrace,” he continued, in what sounded a bit like slam poetry.

But he didn’t reserve his criticism solely for women, and it wasn’t just delivered in rhymes.

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