The latest on the Trump impeachment inquiry: Live updates - CNN

Donald Trump has solved his problem over his weak impeachment defense, fusing it with an audacious reelection pitch that makes a virtue of the rule-breaking character that got him into trouble.

The President is heaping pressure on Republicans to buy a factually dubious but bold message: Not only did he not abuse power in Ukraine but his conduct is that of a tough guy President beset by corrupt elites and boosting the US abroad.

The narrative effectively folds Trump's apparent transgression into an extension of the effective 2016 campaign pitch that only a rule breaker can crush the power of the Washington swamp. It's a risky message from a President who's counting on his political instincts that tell him swing state voters aren't convinced by Democrats' impeachment pitch -- and one whose presidency has been dripping in allegations of corruption, self-dealing and infringing the limits of presidential power.

The defense shone through a new Trump campaign ad previewed Wednesday night and in arguments by GOP lawmakers as the Democratic House held its historic preliminary impeachment vote tailored to fire up the President's base supporters. And in an interview with The Washington Examiner, Trump felt so confident that he pitched reading the transcript of his controversial call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a "fireside chat on live television."

Oddly, despite the House majority signaling it had the numbers to impeach the President, Thursday was one of his better days in the dramatic month-long impeachment spectacle.

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