
In the midst of a presidency-threatening crisis, Donald Trump used his commencement speech to the Coast Guard Academy as an opportunity to grouse about how "unfairly" he's "been treated lately."

In his first public appearance since news of the damning James Comey memo surfaced, Donald Trump obliquely referenced the turmoil that has enveloped his presidency during his commencement speech to the Coast Guard Academy Wednesday morning.

Amid reports that fired FBI Director James Comey composed memos that detailed Trump's attempts to quash the investigation of disgraced national security adviser Michael Flynn, Trump complained to cadets that life is "not always fair," and appeared to describe the current firestorm as undeserved and unwarranted.

Trump also gave the graduating cadets some advice that sounded a lot like wishful thinking:

Stunning. Trump to Coast Guard grads: "Life is not always fair... Just look at the way I've been treated lately." pic.twitter.com/dcnMzhYkgv — Tommy Christopher (@tommyxtopher) May 17, 2017


TRUMP: I want to take this opportunity to give you some advice. Over the course of your life, you will find that things are not always fair. You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted. But you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight. Never, ever, ever give up. Things will work out just fine. Look at the way I've been treated lately. Especially by the media. No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly. You can't let them get you down. You can't let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams.

Trump's penchant for self-pity is legendary. During the 2016 campaign, he spoke of his own "sacrifices" after he attacked Khizr and Ghazala Khan, a Gold Star family, and compared the loss of their son to the work he has put into his businesses.

"I think I've made a lot of sacrifices," he said at the time. "I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot."

Trump's remarks give a clue as to his strategy going forward, which will be to continue to play the victim, but if things keep headed in the direction they're going now, things will not "work out just fine."

At least, not for Trump.