TRUMP REALLY GOES WINGNUT A LOT FOR A GUY WITH NO FIXED IDEOLOGY

We're regularly told that Donald Trump is ideologically malleable, and therefore he's likely any day now to reject conservatism and have a love-in with Democrats on infrastructure or health care or taxing the rich, just because he'll do anything to score a political win.

So it's odd that he's never shown us any evidence of liberalism as president, while he keeps making moves like this:

President Trump on Wednesday said he would ban transgender people from any military service.

Trump made the announcement, which would represent a major shift in military policy, on Twitter.

Chris Hayes makes a good point:

Most of the presidency revolves around providing content for Fox News. Hard to tell who is the servant and who is the master.

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 26, 2017

And a prediction:

He's going to lean in to culture war the more threatened he feels and it will get far far uglier.

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 26, 2017

But why isn't he trying to do things that will win him favor across the political spectrum, especially given his alleged ideological fluidity and past centrist ideas?

The answer is that fighting Fox-style right-wing ideological wars is Trump's happy place. Remember, he's an angry man, and right-wingers practice a politics of rage. So he feels at home among conservative culture warriors. Also, angry right-wing rank-and-file voters love him. He craves adulation. He wants to be regarded as a demigod. If he were to endorse a mildly New Deal-ish infrastructure plan or a sincere effort to patch up Obamacare, he'd broaden his appeal, but at most he'd get golf-clap praise from moderates and liberals. But if he throws raw meat at the right, the response is cult worship. That's what he wants.

He'll never tack center or left. He may not be a bone-deep conservative, but he has a bone-deep addiction to being idolized by conservatives.