It is a common thing for supporters of President Trump, even as early as when he was a candidate, to say “He Fights”. And yes, he does fight. He fights everyone. He gets into all kinds of scraps that are pointless and unnecessary. He insults when he doesn’t need to. He draws a bead on the thing any opponent is weakest on, and he fires away. Sometimes this is a clever move. Sometimes it is foolhardy. But the “He Fights” slogan distracts from what actually matters: that not infrequently, by fighting, he wins – as he did Friday with the announcement that not just Susan Collins, but Joe Manchin would vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh.

It’s the winning that matters to Republican voters, not just the fighting. He won a culture war over the flag by fighting it (and sending Mike Pence to fight it). He won a trade deal people found very unlikely by fighting. And now he won a Court seat that at many points, many smart prognosticators believed was lost. Trump’s supporters have taken over the Republican Party not just because they like him, but because they believe his approach to politics has been consistently vindicated.