In private conversations with President Trump before his first Omarosa eruption, advisers counseled him to hold his tongue.

What we’re hearing: Several told him to ignore her and that engaging would only boost her book sales. Trump said privately that First Lady Melania Trump had advised him to stay above it. But they knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.

And they were right. Trump’s reality TV background, always a subtext of his approach to governing, this week became the dominant sensibility as he and his aides repeatedly engaged the celebrity villain from his “Apprentice” days…