President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE put feverish speculation to an end on Monday night when he nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a 53-year-old appellate judge from the District of Columbia Circuit, to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Here are five big takeaways from the announcement.

Trump was at his most conventional

The president takes pleasure in transgressing norms in other areas of political debate, but the Supreme Court seems to bring out his most conventional side.

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Last year’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia showed Trump playing by the established rules with uncommon discipline.

The same was true on Monday, when he nominated Kavanaugh with a speech that took in all the usual touchstones and never veered off script. It also included admiring comments from the purportedly anti-elitist Trump about his nominee’s educational and teaching background, which encompasses Yale, Harvard and Georgetown.

The pick itself is an orthodox, if conservative, one. Kavanaugh is well-regarded in D.C. legal circles. He worked for the administration of President George W. Bush and was on the list of 25 potential candidates drawn up by the conservative Federalist Society in conjunction with the White House.

Even Republicans who are often deeply critical of Trump praised the choice.

“A conservative can be a fierce critic of Trump on many key matters and still acknowledge he made an outstanding [Supreme Court] pick,” tweeted one such critic, Peter Wehner, a veteran of several past GOP administrations.

“The Rule of Law is our nation’s proud heritage,” Trump said at the White House. “It is the cornerstone of our freedom. It is what guarantees equal justice.”

This was a very different face of the president who, in the first weeks of his presidency, had lambasted the “so-called judge” who blocked the first iteration of his travel ban.

Battle lines are drawn, but what about red-state Dems?

There was never any real doubt that, whomever Trump picked, it would please his base and outrage his liberal critics.

Some left-of-center organizations had announced plans for protest rallies before Trump announced his choice, seeing all the shortlisted candidates as hard-line conservatives who could threaten abortion rights and affect other hot-button issues.

Several potential 2020 presidential contenders spoke at a rally outside the Supreme Court, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenDimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' CNN's Don Lemon: 'Blow up the entire system' remark taken out of context Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court MORE (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersOutrage erupts over Breonna Taylor grand jury ruling Dimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death MORE (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility Democratic lawmakers call for an investigation into allegations of medical neglect at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-N.J.).

The political calculus here is clear: all the political incentives for 2020 Democratic contenders favor opposing Trump’s pick as fiercely as possible, since anything less would likely be treated with suspicion by the party’s grass-roots supporters.

The dynamics are much more complicated for Senate Democrats running for reelection in states Trump won by significant margins in 2016.

Three of those senators — Indiana’s Joe Donnelly Joseph (Joe) Simon DonnellyHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Trump meets with potential Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett at White House Names to watch as Trump picks Ginsburg replacement on Supreme Court MORE, North Dakota’s Heidi Heitkamp Mary (Heidi) Kathryn HeitkampHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Centrists, progressives rally around Harris pick for VP 70 former senators propose bipartisan caucus for incumbents MORE and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin Joseph (Joe) ManchinManchin defends Supreme Court candidate Barrett: 'It's awful to bring in religion' The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump, GOP allies prepare for SCOTUS nomination this week Trump meets with potential Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett at White House MORE — voted to confirm Gorsuch last year. All three were invited to the White House ceremony; all three declined.

Their public statements since Kavanaugh was announced have been circumspect. Donnelly said that he would “carefully review and consider” his record. Heitkamp and Manchin struck a similar tone.

How those senators vote could be vital for their own chances for reelection.

Given the razor-thin math in the Senate — Republicans have a 50-49 advantage in the absence of the seriously ill Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainThe Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' Cindy McCain: Trump allegedly calling war dead 'losers' was 'pretty much' last straw before Biden endorsement MORE (R-Ariz.) — they could also be crucial to whether Kavanaugh is ultimately confirmed.

A rebuke to McConnell

Tensions between Trump loyalists and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellFEC flags McConnell campaign over suspected accounting errors Poll: 59 percent think president elected in November should name next Supreme Court justice Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' MORE (R-Ky.) are rarely far from the surface.

They emerged again here. Despite Kavanaugh’s establishment credentials, McConnell was reported to have advocated for two other figures on Trump’s shortlist, Thomas Hardiman and Raymond Kethledge, arguing that they could be easily and promptly confirmed by the Senate.

His input roiled some of those close to Trump, who believed Kavanaugh had almost had his hands on the prize when McConnell intervened. From the same quarters, there was satisfaction that the president in the end bucked the majority leader’s advice.

It’s hardly a serious setback for McConnell — Kavanaugh’s record contains nothing to discomfort him — but it does again expose the difficult wrinkles in the Trump-McConnell relationship.

Beware the long paper trail

Kavanaugh’s career, encompassing a stretch working for Kenneth Starr during the Monica Lewinsky scandal as well as his service in the Bush White House, will have generated a lengthy paper trail.

This was one of the reasons why McConnell is understood to have made the case for other candidates — with less documentation marking their every move, there could be less chance for some unexpected revelation upending the process.

Democrats will scour Kavanaugh’s record looking for issues that might be able to fire up their own base — and also ratchet up the pressure on the Republicans most likely to vote against Kavanaugh: Sens. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsClub for Growth to spend million in ads for Trump Supreme Court nominee Maryland's GOP governor says Republicans shouldn't rush SCOTUS vote before election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November MORE (Maine), Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann MurkowskiClub for Growth to spend million in ads for Trump Supreme Court nominee Pebble Mine CEO resigns over secretly recorded comments about government officials Maryland's GOP governor says Republicans shouldn't rush SCOTUS vote before election MORE (Alaska) and perhaps even Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulRand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts Health officials tell public to trust in science MORE (Ky.).

The president and his Republican colleagues want Kavanaugh confirmed as fast as possible, knowing that November’s midterm elections pose serious challenges.

Democrats will dig in, in the hope of frustrating that effort.

Trump kept a secret

The president is often blasted for a lack of discipline, a critique that is voiced — at least in private — by many members of his own party.

There was no evidence of that when it came to the Kavanaugh nomination.

The normally loquacious president said little in the days leading up to making his pick, beyond positive generalizations about his shortlist. His leak-prone administration offered no clues.

In the end, the first reports that Kavanaugh had been chosen came only minutes before the judge joined the president in the East Room of the White House.

It was an unusual display of restraint — and, in the eyes of many in the GOP, a welcome one.