Wednesday’s tale of the 3 Trumps: the bad, the good, and the excellent

Here, we see the president undercutting the necessary impartiality of the Justice Department. I recognize why many Republicans want an aggressive investigation into the FISA system, especially as it pertains to FBI investigations into the 2016 Trump presidential campaign, but Trump’s pressure here does no favors.

By introducing another strand of politicization into a controversy already defined by too much of it, Trump delegitimizes the process of law. But more than that, Trump’s petulance conflicts with his duty as chief executive of the U.S. Few things are more important than democratic accountability under law and by his Twitter antics, Trump dilutes confidence in the institutions of government.

A few hours later, however, Trump showed a much better side.

Addressing congregants at Billy Graham’s memorial in the Capitol, Trump spoke eloquently of grace and service. His tone was somber, and his measured affection for Graham’s family gelled well with the dignity of the event. Here, Trump was easily as presidential as former Presidents Barack Obama or George W. Bush. In short, Trump was good.

But it was around 3:15 p.m. that Trump delivered his finest moment of the day.

Hosting members of Congress at the White House, Trump led a roundtable discussion on gun control.

If there’s a reason that Trump’s popularity is rising with voters, it’s because of events like this one.

After all, it is at these forums that Trump is at his best. To be sure, Trump was imbued with self-confidence, trolling former President Obama by declaring that “[Obama] was not proactive” and “You have a different president now.” When asked whether he could handle the responsibility of leadership on gun issues, Trump was unapologetic, “I like that responsibility … Democratic and Republican presidents haven’t stepped up.”

And as is his style, Trump threw the rule book out the window. Asking Republican Senators why they don’t support raising the age limit on rifle purchases to 21 years of age, Trump interjected, “You know why, because you’re afraid of the NRA.”

It was stunning. Regardless of your views on the National Rifle Association, Trump’s willingness to rip up the Republican consensus in favor of the NRA proves his commitment to voters that he would do things differently.

Indeed, Trump quite aggressively pushed back against House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., when Scalise asked for a multistate concealed carry authorization amendment to be added to any final bill. Trump told Scalise in no uncertain terms that his suggestion was unacceptable because it could not make it through the Senate.

Trump wants action.

Yet, Trump was also tough on Democrats: He pushed them to make concessions with Republicans and to stop insulting gun owners. He added a few flippant lines against Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who was sitting next to him, for what he suggested was her extreme approach to gun control. And he pushed all assembled to stop politically posturing by offering a whole range of bills. “One bill is nicer than having seven bills,” he said.

The president knows that it will be easier to drag Democrats and Republicans into a grand compromise if the compromise sits in one or two major pieces of legislation that all congressional leaders can get behind. Most important of all, Trump made clear that he is staking his own political capital on this compromise.

Ultimately, Wednesday was perhaps the best snapshot of this president thus far. Trump showed all the various elements of his personality and presidency, and in the end, it was a mix of the bad, the good, and the excellent.