(CNN) The fiction that Donald Trump is a "counter-puncher" is getting a workout as his defenders try to justify the President's attacks on everyone from US Rep. Adam Schiff ("little Adam Schitt") to the special counsel Robert Mueller ("gone absolutely nuts.") The myth holds that Trump is a tough guy who fights back. In fact, he is a fragile man running out of safe places to hide.

Michael D'Antonio

Like so much about Trump, the counter-puncher theme is a clever marketing ploy used to obscure obvious flaws. In the past he promoted himself as a business titan to cover the shame of multiple massive bankruptcies. Today, as a politician, he poses as a victim when he's actually a frightened bully. No one is ever on equal footing with the President of the United States, which means that whenever he "punches" anyone, he lowers himself.

Who does Trump fear? He fears the independent counsel, whose investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election threatens to expose the inner workings of the campaign and of Trump's opaque business empire. He fears Schiff and other House Democrats he's belittled because they will soon chair powerful committees that will launch their own investigations into Trump's administration and, perhaps, his long-hidden tax returns.

The President's insecurities all seem to revolve around his fear of being unmasked as a fraud. The tax returns, for example, would allow everyone to compare his claims to great wealth -- in 2015 he said he was worth $10 billion -- with black-and-white reality. More to the point, we could all see how he has benefited from various tax maneuvers and discover just how much corporate welfare the Trump Organization has lapped up over the years.

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Beyond his finances, Trump fears being revealed to be a naïf who has been outplayed by others with power. In the case of the Saudi killing of American-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump seems afraid to listen to the audio evidence Turkish officials handed over to the United States. He seems to be in denial about what his brutal pals are willing to do.

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