Trump The Victim? Or Trump The All Powerful Monarch? Whichever Works

Miss McConnell is being pummeled over his self-proclaimed Grim Reaper role that has him blocking dozens of bills passed by the House to promote good government and policies to help working families-- many of them with bipartisan support. But the epidemic of NRA/GOP massacres over the summer just cracked the old queen. McConnell, during an interview yesterday with right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt, tossed the hot potato to Trumpanzee. He told Hewitt that the Orange Orangutan's regime "is in the process of studying what they're prepared to support, if anything" and that if His Highness "is in favor of a number of things that he has discussed openly and publicly and I know that if we pass it, it will become law, I'll put it on the floor."

This apparently was inspired by a careful reading of a version of the Constitution that was rejected by the Founding Fathers in 1787 after it was sent over to the colonists by King George III. James Madison took one look at it and turned to Benjamin Franklin and, giggling, said "what fool in his right mind would even pay the slightest attention to a system where a king tells the legislature what to consider nd what not to consider? This must be a joke."

Writing for NBC News' website at the same time, Jonathan Allen noted that-- in contrast-- Señor Trumpanzee "prefers to portray himself as a martyr" rather than as The Decider. It's gaslighting at its manipulative worst:

Trump says he's been beset on all sides by sinister forces that are oppressing him and depriving him of the authority he needs to deliver on his vision for America.

Often, the villains in his narratives work for him.

First, it was the CIA and the FBI, then Democrats, members of his Cabinet and Robert Mueller. Lately, his enemies list includes his hand-picked Federal Reserve chairman, Jay Powell, and Fox News. The cable network "isn't working for us anymore," Trump declared in a tweet last week, a few days after calling Powell an "enemy" of the United States.

A random 2 hours of insanity from Trumpanzee This Morning

Trump's persecution complex is an essential part of his brand-- one that resonates deeply with a political base that believes anti-Trump liberals run the federal government and the news media. But as he seeks re-election in 2020, Trump is banking heavily on his ability to blend it into a coherent narrative with a version of his presidency in which he's been a commanding force, steamrolling adversaries to get things done.

"This election is not merely a verdict on the amazing progress we've made," Trump said when he kicked off his re-election campaign in Orlando, Florida, in June. "It's a verdict on the un-American conduct of those who tried to undermine our great democracy, and undermine you."

When he's less scripted, Trump sometimes speaks or tweets in terms that are more personal, such as when he describes himself as the target of "presidential harassment."

These two halves of Trump-- victim and conqueror-- fit together snugly for his campaign.

"It definitely is something that he and the campaign talk about," said Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump's re-election campaign. "There is no question he can still run against Washington based on the outspoken and unprecedented obstruction he has faced. And despite all of this, he has still accomplished everything that he has on behalf of the country."

...Democrats say Trump's case requires a cognitive dissonance that is too much to bear.

"Playing the victim card in politics is pretty tough when you're president of the United States," said Chris Kofinis, a Democratic strategist and message-testing expert who has worked on presidential campaigns. "You can’t have it both ways. You either have control over the destiny of the country or you don’t. I think it’s that simple."

The Washington Trump is running against, critics note, is filled with people he appointed to run agencies that are under his control. The Senate has been in Republican hands throughout his presidency. And the Supreme Court has a conservative majority featuring two justices he appointed.

...[The sentiments of the relative handful of persuadable voters will be critical to determining his fate.

"They look at him as the architect of destruction and dysfunction, and they are going to be negative toward any leader, whether it's Trump or anyone else who makes excuses about their actions," Kofinis said.

But Michael Caputo, a Republican strategist and Trump ally who worked on the president's 2016 campaign, said that there is a clear "connective tissue" between the two elements of Trump's argument and that he needs those swing voters not only to regard him as effective but as embattled.

"You'd have to be dead or near dead not to understand that Donald Trump has been attacked at every turn of his presidency like no president in modern times," Caputo said. "Part of victory for Donald Trump will be convincing the middle that he hasn’t gotten fairly treated by Washington."

Democrats say that the premise of Trump being uniquely under siege-- despite long investigations into his campaign's ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice-- is faulty.

"It’s an absurd argument," Joe Lockhart, who served as press secretary for President Bill Clinton, said in a direct message exchange. "Trump has had no congressional oversight for the majority of his term. His administration has repeatedly violated the law and had courts stop him. And let’s not forget Clinton had dozens of investigations and was impeached."