But his immediate jump to a forceful and potentially deadly resolution to the unrest underscored what knowledgeable sources said is deep distress at events that, in Trump’s view, make him appear weak. He told reporters at the White House on Friday that he didn’t want Minneapolis to “descend further into lawless anarchy and chaos.”

There’s a personal branding aspect to that desire, one senior administration official told The Daily Beast. “He sees civil disturbance as a referendum on his leadership,” the source said. “A show of force like sending in the National Guard is a way to reassert that authority and show he’s in control.”…

As he continues to address the matter in the coming days and weeks, it’s highly unlikely that Trump will drift away from his typical “tough on crime” posturing, in part because he sees it as so integral to his political identity and victory.

“The president sees attacks on the police as an attack on a key constituency,” said a current senior Trump administration official. “He sees his strong support for police officers…as a core part of who he is as a winner…I’ve heard him say several times [in recent months] things like, ‘I will never abandon our police. Joe Biden will.’”