"I think part of the mistake that Trump made is — not only on the seriousness of it — but the political impact of it," said one top Republican strategist who is close to the White House and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the president. "And I think it's recognizing that this is a moment to be a hero, an unlikely hero. But I think he appears to be warming up to the role — not playing it anything close to flawlessly, of course, but recognizing the moment and starting to respond to it."