An unsustainable presidency

He sees things only through the distorting prism of an all-consuming ego. There is only one Trump instinct -- "fight, fight, fight," he said at the Coast Guard Academy -- and one Trumpian dichotomy: friend or foe. He is impervious to embarrassment, no matter how blatant his falsehood. The stain of his behavior spreads to taint anyone within range.

The past few weeks have presented an alarming parade of proof. Authoritarianism? Trump summarily fired his FBI director over "this Russia thing" -- after, according to reports, James Comey resisted Trump's demand that he pledge loyalty and declined Trump's importunings to drop the Flynn probe.

Trump met unapologetically with yet another a dictatorial thug, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and remained shamefully silent as Erdogan's security goons beat up protesters on U.S. soil. No surprise there, from the candidate who urged his crowds to "knock the crap out of" protesters and as president reportedly pressed Comey to jail reporters for obtaining leaks.

Overweening egotism laced with self-pity? Trump used the occasion of the Coast Guard graduation to lament his treatment -- "No politician in history -- and I say this with great surety -- has been treated worse or more unfairly."

Similarly, in the Trumpiverse, the Russia inquiry and the newly named special counsel represent "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history." In fact, Trump has only himself to blame -- Comey's firing made the appointment inevitable and the episode demonstrates the justice system working to allay public fears of political interference.

Dangerous ignorance and lack of preparedness for his post? Without evident forethought, heedless of consideration of the consequences, classically boastful, Trump blurted out code-word information about the Islamic State to the Russians at his Oval Office yuck-fest. The national security and diplomatic establishment shudders at the thought of this man at loose abroad.

It is impossible to know how this disastrous episode in our history will conclude, or how grave the damage. But an adage from conservative economist Herb Stein comes to mind: If something cannot go on forever, it will stop. This situation does not feel sustainable for a full four years.

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Ruth Marcus' email address is ruthmarcus@washpost.com.