They say power is measured by the battles you choose to fight. This week Donald Trump chose two.
One was an international clash with the BBC, the other, a messy family drama in his own backyard.
His lawyers had threatened to sue the BBC for manipulating a speech he gave on 6 January 6 2021, by editing two different parts together to imply he incited violence.
Read more: Three experts on why Trump might struggle to win BBC lawsuit
The corporation apologised but when it refused to meet his $1bn demand for compensation, he upped it to “between $1bn and $5bn”.
Donald Trump has won out-of-court settlements from two US networks, but legal analysts are sceptical about his chances of a courtroom victory.
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In the UK, the deadline for defamation claims has passed, and in Florida, he will have to prove enough people saw it to cause him reputational harm.
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Donald Trump withdraws support for Marjorie Taylor Greene after she calls for Epstein files to be released
The BBC is protected by the First Amendment of the US constitution, and it is notoriously difficult to demonstrate malicious intent against a public figure.
But for Trump, this may be less about winning a case and more about the optics – reinforcing his claims of “fake news”.
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On the other front is Marjorie Taylor Greene, once the most loyal of allies, even touted as a potential running mate.
He publicly withdrew his endorsement of her on Truth Social, branding her “wacky Marjorie” and “a ranting lunatic”.
Read more: What do Epstein documents say about Trump, Andrew and Mandelson?
The Congresswoman hit back, claiming texts she had sent him about Jeffrey Epstein had “sent him over the edge”.
The split had been brewing, with Greene having aligned with Democrats to force a vote on the release of all Epstein files.
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But the clash is not just personal, it’s ideological, a signal that he’s now more comfortable with less disruptive elements, even within his own base.
With the BBC, he is wielding the legal threat to demand respect from one of the world’s most respected news institutions.
With Taylor Greene, he is showing that he can swiftly withdraw support in a bid to enforce discipline within his camp.
Both battles come with risk. Suing the BBC could bring fresh scrutiny over his rhetoric on 6 January 2021.
Read more on Jeffrey Epstein:
Maxwell ‘wants Trump to commute sentence’
What Epstein’s right-hand woman said about Trump and Andrew
Disowning someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene could alienate the section of the MAGA base that rallied around her firebrand activism.
But a high-profile battle with the BBC amplifies his narrative of persecution.
And the ditching of a foot-soldier shows who wields the power when it comes to political survival.
