Perilous times, maybe the worst, for Trump and the Party, Priebus thought. There was only one path forward: escalation on all fronts. Maximize aggression to conceal vital weakness."

And there we have it. Why Trump gets more aggressive, when things get sticky. Why Trump gets more aggressive and hostile, when something unfavorable to him is in the news. He is maximizing aggression in an attempt to conceal vital weakness.

Not that he has to try that hard. This is his natural way. But he received instructions from the operatives to work it, as a path to winning. It fit him like a glove. His natural instincts run amok as official policy. As a legitimate way to lead. As a way to distract, to hide truth.

(As an aside, Woodward is a wonderful writer. The way he tells a story is a page turner.)