Last week was a rough one for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, and this week isn’t looking any better. On Monday, The Atlantic uncovered evidence that Pruitt personally approved huge raises for his political staffers in direct defiance of White House orders, and lied to a Fox News reporter about it. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the federal government’s top ethics official is now getting involved in Pruitt’s growing list of corruption and waste scandals, asking the EPA to take “appropriate actions” to address questions of impropriety.

But one bright spot for Pruitt remains: His good standing with President Donald Trump. Even as an increasing number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers—and Trump’s own chief of staff, John Kelly—have advocated for Pruitt’s resignation, the president has so far stood by him. “For the moment it appears Pruitt is not on his way out,” NPR’s Ron Elving wrote on Monday. “And if what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, then Pruitt may still be on his way up.”

How could this be? Trump, after all, has fired other cabinet officials for much more benign offenses. On Saturday, Trump defended his EPA chief in a tweet by saying he was going a “good job.” But Pruitt hasn’t accomplished much (yet) when it comes to rolling back regulations, so a “good job” must mean something else.

George David Banks, who recently left his position advising Trump on energy and climate issues, said Pruitt’s most valuable accomplishment to Trump is likely that he’s popular with Republican voters. “The president cares about his base and how they view Pruitt,” he said. “That may be the most important part of the job in the president’s eyes.”

There don’t appear to be polls showing Pruitt’s support among Trump’s base, but Banks’s observation is backed up by Trump’s own remarks. On Friday—one of the most intense days of media scrutiny into Pruitt’s scandals yet—Trump returned from West Virginia, where he has one of the highest approval ratings in the country. “I just left coal and energy country,” Trump said on the plane ride back to D.C. “They love Scott Pruitt.” That Pruitt could even achieve name recognition, much less support, is a testament to his political messaging—which Banks noted is much like Trump’s. “They do have similar styles,” Banks said. “The president probably appreciates Pruitt’s political skills.”