But current and former administration aides believe Trump will view the latest impeachment inquiry as a major blow to his ego — and the proceedings will likely distract him, cloud all his meetings and halt any agenda for this fall, including the passage of a major trade bill heading into an election year.

“It would mean USMCA [U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement] probably doesn’t get done. It would declare war on whatever legislative agenda they still have,” one former administration official said.

That may not matter for Trump’s political standing or his popularity with his base, which has remained fairly constant during his presidency even in some of its most controversial moments.

“People have made up their minds on Trump. It would take a momentous event to change enough minds to alter his job approval rating away from the average of 43 or 44 percent,” said Whit Ayres, founder and president of North Star Opinion Research, a Republican polling firm. “We’re so polarized and in our tribes that people will look through their current lens and determine either the president did something wrong, or Joe Biden did something wrong. The facts won’t be particularly relevant.”