So is Trump crazy-crazy or crazy like a fox? I was thinking crazy-crazy* but now I've changed my mind, thanks to reading Devil's Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Storming of the Presidency by Joshua Green. According to Green, Trump learned years ago that a strong popular base was the ticket to political success - what the intellectual and political elites thought about him didn't matter.
According to numerous polls, most Republican voters still support Trump. They agree with his statements about the media and Charlottesville. They admire his combativeness and no-nonsense leadership style. Many - perhaps a majority - would be fine with postponing the next presidential election if Trump demanded it. And most of his supporters say there is nothing Trump can do to change their minds.
This passionate and forgiving base intimidates the Republican establishment, preventing open rebellion within its ranks. To keep the Republican Party in check, Trump has to keep his troops motivated. He has to tweet. He has to balance presidential displays with divisive rabble-rousing.
A reasonable and humble Trump would lose enough of his base to compromise his ability to punish those who cross him.
Via the ballot box, Trump's base has the power to destroy many a political career. Without the Trump's supporters cheering him on, Congressional Republicans would either pressure Trump to resign or actively seek his impeachment. They certainly wouldn't stick to their current equivocations.
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*Basically, grandiose narcissistic personality gone amuck, with some early-stage dementia thrown in.