EZRA KLEIN AND MUZZLE VELOCITY:

He didn’t seem overwhelmed at all, and that was at night, on a gruelingly noisy plane, grilled by reporters after an evening event where, as WaPo puts it, “Trump tries humor, gets some silence, at black-tie dinner with ‘people I hate.'”

He seemed to be up for all of it. But I’m pretty sure Klein wants to think otherwise: “This is a presidency that is, by any measure, failing. Trump is unpopular; his brutality and his tariffs have turned immigration and affordability, once among of his strongest issues, into liabilities. Trump’s opposition is increasingly united and mobilized; Democrats are besting Republicans in elections all across the country and disciplined, brave, beautiful protest movements have emerged in the cities ICE has sought to occupy.”

By any measure? That can’t be true. He’s at least succeeding by that measure of “muzzle velocity” and the measure of courage and optimism in facing a hostile press. Ironically, Klein is exhibiting the same kind of optimism, energy, and boasting to which Trump is so deeply committed.

One of them’s right and it’s not Young Ezra. Who’s not so young as he was when that name was coined, but the, none of us is.