Michael D'Antonio is the author of the book "Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success" (St. Martin's Press). The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) With his latest tweetstorm, addressing everything from North Korea's nuclear threat to the mythical "Deep State" inside the Justice Department, Donald Trump has fallen through the floor of comedy and into the basement of tragedy.

The storm crested with Trump's official response to Steve Bannon's remarks about the President's offspring, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, published in an excerpt from journalist Michael Wolff's upcoming book, " Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House ." Bannon said Donald Jr.'s meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton may have been "treasonous" or "unpatriotic" and that Ivanka intended to become president herself one day.

Trump responded, "When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind." The President's statement on Bannon confirmed the widely-held impression that he is temperamental and ill-suited to his position. Indeed, the last thing a president should do when a former aide levels criticism is dignify it with a response. Of course, dignity has never been Trump's strong suit.

After roughly one year into his presidency, we can be certain that the image-obsessed, overly-emotional Trump seen for decades in New York and on TV is the real deal -- and that nothing affects him more than what people say about him.

From his earliest days, when he fashioned himself into a character worthy of the stage, he was guided by dramatic impulses. Referring to his life as a " comic book " and " show ," Trump anointed public figures as enemies and created battles that were waged in the press. No one was immune from his criticism -- not even Ronald Reagan. And his various business activities, including massive bankruptcies, became part of the spectacle.

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