Donald Trump and his father Fred dedicated much of their lives united in a singular cause: Creating the illusion that the Dons was an absolute winner in life in every respect. He had the money, the business acumen, the ladies—it was such an all-consuming pursuit of glory that Trump appears to actually believe in the facade they built over decades.

That winning narrative, given a considerable electoral boost by Russia, carried right into Trump's first term as pr*sident. With an entirely GOP-controlled Congress, Trump faced no opposition, no calling to account, and his victor fantasy was allowed to flourish to some extent, despite the fact that he only logged one legislative win in his first two years of office.

But Trump's utterly embarrassing defeat this week on his chief campaign promise marked an end to Trump's delusions of grandeur. Stripped of the endless advantages that his daddy's money has bought him his entire life and forced to play on a level playing field with an oppositional party led by a woman, Trump is getting eaten alive. And what's clear from the Washington Post’s reporting of his reactions to getting little more than a pittance for border fencing in the budget deal is that Trump, faced with his own inadequacies, is losing it.

After being briefed on the deal Thursday and realizing what a humiliating failure it represented, Trump threatened to torpedo the entire venture just before voting began on it. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who'd already spent the week on the horn with Trump, was called into action once again to shower him with soothing lies that Democrats had actually lost the battle. After logging three "nerve-racking" calls with Trump, McConnell ultimately promised to pledge his support for Trump's national emergency—something he had repeatedly advised against—in exchange for an assurance Trump would sign the bill. The White House counsel's office later bolstered McConnell's effort by promising Trump that signing the legislation wouldn't preclude him from using his executive powers to get more money.