The killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave President Donald Trump an undeniable national security triumph and also a much-needed political victory at the most precarious moment of his presidency.
Imperiled by an impeachment inquiry and facing fierce foreign policy criticism from within his own party, Trump reveled in the win Sunday, at first announcing the raid like so many of his predecessors, with solemnity for the mission in Syria and praise for the brave Americans who carried it out.
As the minutes passed, he reverted to the president who has tried to redefine the office and how Americans view it, using graphic language and awkward ad-libs while dispensing criticism of his political foes, at home and abroad, and turning the triumph into a moment, more than anything, about Trump himself.
Despite the Trumpian flourishes, the president’s White House reveal of al-Baghdadi’s death gave him a destined-for-history image to place alongside Barack Obama’s iconic announcement of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. It also offered him a reprieve from the escalating impeachment inquiry and a ready-made line for this 2020 reelection campaign.