AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The Trump presidency finds itself at an early crossroads. One of two things is true.

The first possibility is that the establishment – in all its manifestations – has been right all along. We could be learning – to the country’s great regret – that virtually 100 percent of Democrats, virtually 100 percent of the New York and Washington media and a sizable number of Republicans, all had Donald Trump pegged.

Based on the events of the past 10 days, it could be that the Never Trumpers were correct in their assessments of him as impulsive, boorish, unfiltered and altogether unsuited to the office of the presidency.

If you believe the media, the inept way in which President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey; the bumbling way in which he undercut his own communications operation in explaining the firing; his possibly having divulged intelligence secrets during a White House meeting with the Russians; and his allegedly having tried to coax James Comey into dropping the FBI’s investigation into Gen. Michael Flynn; all coalesce to paint a picture of a man who is a.) inept, b.) unethical, c.) unstable, d.) unsuitable to the office, or, e.) all of the above.

That is the picture one sees if one listens to, watches or reads the coverage from ABC, CBS, NBC, the Washington Post or the New York Times.

That Donald Trump is, in fact, what those who opposed him warned against is a possibility.

But there is a second possibility.

It is at least equally possible that the creatures who are permanent denizens of the swamp that Donald Trump pledged to drain – the career bureaucrats who, according to one poll voted 97 percent for Hillary Clinton, and whose long-held sinecures are now threatened – are using their connections, acquaintances and pals in the Washington media to take President Trump down. As a corollary to that possibility, it is entirely likely that those in the media being so used are being used willingly – enthusiastically even.

A plausible case can be made that the media cannot get over the fact that Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. The case can be further made that they still don’t understand why. Thus one can argue that rather than step back and engage in some introspection; rather than ask themselves, ‘How did me miss this so badly?’ a conscious or unconscious effort is afoot by the media to prove to the rubes outside of New York, Washington, LA, Chicago and San Francisco that said rubes got it wrong.

As an interested insider, I have asked certain powers that be, ‘How is it that you guys are in high dudgeon over these alleged wrongdoings by Donald Trump when you largely ignored or gave only token coverage to the Pig Pen-like cloud of corruption that seemed to follow Hillary Clinton everywhere she went?’

What seems clear is this. It’s now a cage match between the Trump presidency and the establishment media. When it’s over, one will emerge victorious. The other will lie in ruins.

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