One of the more infuriating things about President Donald Trump and his loyal base is their failure to understand how politics work.

Yes, Trump won in 2016 by acting in a way that no one had seen before and no one expected to be successful, but the idea that abnormality is the new normal is foolish thinking. Even former Trump campaign chairman Steve Bannon seems to be realizing that fighting “the establishment” is foolish in 2018.

“The question is about President Trump and his agenda. And you’re gonna have to sometimes vote for people that you’re not totally comfortable with, OK?” Bannon said to Sean Hannity on Fox News last month. “That means some establishment figures, some RINOs. It doesn’t matter.”

One of the more frustrating storylines of 2016 was that only Trump could beat Hillary Clinton, mostly because it’s not true. But also because Trump was a drag on the GOP ticket rather than a boost.

Clinton is not in office, but her base hates Trump. And if special elections are a guide, the Democrats are going to be energized. While Trump’s base is psyched, the rest of the GOP seems to be somewhat apathetic — even if they like what Trump is doing, but can’t stand what he is saying.

Trump needs to focus on bridging that gap. He could do that by calming down on the special counsel stuff and focusing on boring policy, but continuing down the path we are on seems to be leading us to a situation where the House is most-likely lost.

The establishment never wanted, or needed, Trump. They used him to get tax cuts, judges and movement on immigration concerns. They decided to look the other way on his ridiculousness.

The trade-off may be two years of never-ending Democrat-led investigations in the U.S. House, unless the Trump ultra-supporters and the establishment can come together.

@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a conservative talk show  from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN