The speed and intemperance of Trump's counterpunches suggest that the president probably feels himself at risk, too. There were many reasons Trump may have had for lashing out, of course. Bannon painted him as someone surrounded by ignorant, scheming relatives, lacking any interest in governing, pursuing the presidency as a marketing lark, and an empty vessel that others could fill with their own ideas — in other words, exactly the guy who's been occupying the Oval Office for the last year.