Story highlights While Trump tweets obsessively about NFL anthem protests, he tells friends he thinks he's on the right track, writes Gloria Borger

In his real estate days, Trump routinely upended meetings to the consternation of many, she writes

(CNN) While much of the American public never ceases to be amazed at the President's tweets, antics or declarations from the stump, those who have known him for years take it in stride. "This is who he is," says a longtime ally, referring to the NFL take-a-knee conflict. "He triples down, and he thinks this all is great."

Huh? He's got a disaster in Puerto Rico (not to mention two others in Texas and Florida), a failed health care bill, a pending tax reform fight, a potential deal on Dreamers that could anger his base -- oh, and by the way, a confrontation with North Korea that reaches new rhetorical excesses daily.

But he's obsessively tweeting about the NFL -- or Steph Curry refusing to pay homage at the White House (President to Warriors: Don't come). Over and over again. More than 20 times.

So what's he thinking? First, says a friend, "he thinks all of this is great for him. He says that his base and most of America agree with him." Indeed, the President told this friend, "I say what they all want to say." The feeling, he adds, is that the President believes he is "doing what he was sent to Washington to do, to chip away at all of these establishment notions in places where people are afraid to go."

But not brave Donald Trump. He's so brave that he's willing to cast aside the First Amendment so those "sons of bitches," as the President calls them, don't take a knee as a form of protest when the anthem is played. Instead, he'd like them fired. Maybe it's not such a brave move, especially considering that what he cares about is deeply political: playing to his base of support with his version of patriotism. He knew it would play well when he campaigned in Alabama the other night. That way, if his base is jittery over his deals with the Democrats, he can throw them a bone. Or a flag.

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