Part of me looks at this and I think that he has lost it, and part of me thinks that this is conscious gaslighting. To be honest, I am settling in, at least in part, that this is just another example of his simplistic approach to pretty much everything: making maximalist claims and never caring that he knows no one is really going to accept the maximalist position. It is like the way he “negotiates” trade deals.

It doesn’t matter to him that almost no one will believe this. He just is bullshitting his way through it, and will be more than happy to have some percentage of his supporters accept that something is wrong in Portland, and that will be enough.

Meanwhile, the sycophancy of those around him is off the charts. Noem, for example, is a poster child for why the Senate should take its advice and consent powers more seriously. If presidents send nominees who are clearly going to just be stooges, that should be enough for them to be rejected. And yes, I know, that is just me indulging in a good governance fantasy wherein Senators actually care about competence.

The reality remains, however, that we are getting exactly what many of us warned we would get, if not worse, out of these nominees.