Trump seeks to make Kavanaugh furor a campaign asset, not a liability

ORLANDO, Fla. >> When a bitterly divided Senate confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite sexual misconduct allegations a month before the midterm elections, strategists in both parties anticipated that it could turbocharge Democratic efforts to take over the House, if not all of Congress.

One person who did not get the memo? President Donald Trump.

Rather than falling back on defense amid roiling outrage, especially among women, Trump is going on offense, trying to turn the furor into an asset instead of a liability. With the world’s loudest megaphone, he hopes to make the issue not the treatment of women in the #MeToo era but the treatment of men who deserve due process.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of things happen on Nov. 6 that would not have happened before,” Trump told reporters today before flying to Orlando, Florida, to address the International Association of Chiefs of Police. “The American public has seen this charade, has seen this dishonesty by the Democrats.”

Rather than moving on to other issues, Trump made a point of showcasing his appointment of Kavanaugh today with a nationally televised swearing-in ceremony at the White House, an event unnecessary legally since he was already sworn in on Saturday but useful politically, as the president sees it.

Conservative leaders said that Trump was trying to define the battle on his terms and that part of his appeal to his political base had been his willingness to fight.

“He’s smart to step into it,” said Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, whose wife, Mercedes Schlapp, is a senior White House official. “What President Trump is realizing is that for his supporters they don’t want their leader of their movement, the head of their party to back down. Most politicians would just cower and say, ‘Boy it’s not fair, but I might have to find another nominee.’ President Trump understands that’s absolutely the opposite of what his base wants to see.”