From Whence Trump's New Conservatism?

When Trump's candidacy for the Republican nomination was first announced, you may remember a common knock on him was his non-conservatism, including friendships with Democrats. It is reasonable, having had a look at his cabinet picks, to ask from whence comes his current serious conservatism?

The fellows at Power Line have proposed an answer that covers the observed facts and is congruent with what is known of the Trump personality. John Hinderaker, senior blogger at the site, suggests the Trump proclivity for counter-punching helps us understand his newfound conservatism.

My guess is that throughout the general election campaign and continuing to the present, Trump has been stunned by the insane outpouring of hatred against him and his family from the Left and the Democratic Party. (snip) Trump spends a fair amount of time on Twitter; how do you think he felt when he saw that #RapeMelania was one of the top trending hashtags?

One thing we know about Trump is that if you hit him, he will hit back. (snip) The liberals wanted war, so war they will get. Trump knows where his friends are–on the right–and it looks like that is where he will govern.

Power Line contributor Paul Mirengoff adds:

If John is right, we will probably see a vicious cycle for the Democrats. The more conservative Trump becomes, the more savagely they will attack him. The more savagely they attack him, the more conservative he may become.

This makes a whole lot of sense to me, how about to you? Trump subscribes to the Marine Corps motto: No better friend, no worse enemy.