In our system of government, the president occupies a strange role. He is simultaneously the head of a party faction and the head of state. So he endeavors to implement an agenda that some large portion of the country probably opposes, while also seeking to represent the entire nation. This is a balancing act that has confounded many presidents over the centuries. If there is an institutional defect in the office of the president, it is probably this.

But Trump does not even try to maintain the balance. He has totally rejected the informal demands of acting like the head of the nation and instead continues to behave as if he is in the Republican primaries in the winter and spring of 2016. We have had misbehaving presidents before, but never have we had a president act in such an undignified manner for all the country to witness, every day, live as it happens.

This is a big reason why Republicans are set to lose a substantial number of seats in the 2018 midterms – because Trump is refusing to meet the bare minimum of public expectation regarding the presidency. We the people do not want the dog-and-pony show of the British royals, but we expect a little class from our president — a little touch of the Washingtonian mystique. Trump lacks it, and his party is going to be punished for it in November. Bigly.