Tending to President Donald Trump’s fragile ego has become a major preoccupation of Washington, as ambitious politicians look for ways to please the temperamental commander-in-chief. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has proven particularly adept at this. According to The Washington Post, McCarthy noticed during a flight on Air Force One in October that Trump had a sweet tooth for two flavors of Starburst candy: cherry and strawberry. Days later, McCarthy “bought a plentiful supply of Starbursts and asked a staffer to sort through the pile, placing only those two flavors in a jar. McCarthy made sure his name was on the side of the gift, which was delivered to a grinning Trump.”



McCarthy’s wooing of Trump with bright, chewable candy might seem like a minor anecdote, worth adding to Post contributor Daniel Drezner’s long list of examples of people treating Trump like a toddler. But beneath the humor lies a grim reality. Trump is no child; he’s a 71-year-old world leader.

The better metaphor for Trump’s behavior is that he’s an abusive patriarch who demands absolute loyalty and servility. As the McCarthy story shows, Trump reduces those around him—even powerful members of Congress—to sycophants. The Republican Party has become a dysfunctional family: its members forever currying favor with the old man, enabling his vices and denying his transgressions.

On Monday, the Post provided a detailed account of Trump’s ill-fated meeting with congressional leaders last week to discuss an immigration compromise, where the president reportedly referred to El Salvador, Haiti, and African nations as “shithole countries.” As the story makes clear, Trump’s mercurial personality tempted various Republicans to try to both manipulate him and, eventually, to lie and cover up for him.

Prior to the meeting, Trump reportedly was open to a bipartisan agreement made by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. “When President Trump spoke by phone with Sen. Richard J. Durbin around 10:15 a.m. last Thursday,” the Post reported, “he expressed pleasure with Durbin’s outline of a bipartisan immigration pact and praised the high-ranking Illinois Democrat’s efforts.” This alarmed anti-immigration right-wingers in the White House, who quickly mobilized to change the president’s minds: