That has clearly unsettled Mr. Trump, who while saying he is not the least bit concerned about impeachment has been aggressively pushing back against the prospect in recent days. To the extent that he anticipated that Mr. Mueller’s report would clear him, he has expressed frustration that it is still being used against him.

“When that report came out, a lot of people felt relieved,” said Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media and a friend who saw Mr. Trump in Florida last weekend. “But I don’t think anybody was prepared. I was shocked by the coverage, especially on MSNBC, through the weekend. It was just impeachment, nonstop.

“I am sure the president is seeing the same kind of coverage I’m seeing,” he added. “If you go through this, you cooperate, you’re cleared, and in this country they still say you committed some sort of crime.”

Through a long history in the public eye, Mr. Trump has toggled between self-portrayals of greatness and grievance. He claims to have won even when he has not, and when he loses, he says he was ripped off in some way, even if imagined.

He repeatedly exaggerated the scope of his Electoral College victory, claiming it was one of the biggest when it was not. And he explained away his loss in the popular vote by asserting falsely that he actually won that, too, but for millions of people who supposedly voted illegally for Hillary Clinton.

“He can be a victor when that’s convenient and he can be a victim when that’s convenient. And if things don’t work out, then he’s covered,” said Gwenda Blair, a biographer of Mr. Trump and his family. “He’s always going to come out on top, but sometimes you come out on top by saying you won and sometimes you come out on top because you were cheated.”

Mr. Trump’s initial reaction to Mr. Mueller’s report was colored by the selective summary offered by his own attorney general, William P. Barr, who at first disclosed only the special counsel’s bottom-line conclusions, then took nearly four weeks to review the 448-page document before releasing a redacted version last week.