Trump this morning gave an eloquent defense of his phone call with the president of Ukraine:

While Democrats stepped up calls for impeachment, President Donald Trump directly acknowledged Sunday that he spoke with the president of Ukraine about an investigation into political opponent Joe Biden, but called the talk appropriate.

Speaking with reporters en route to a trip to Texas and Ohio, Trump said: “The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, with largely corruption – all of the corruption taking place – and largely the fact that we don’t want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.”

His brain is like a broken record. The word “largely” gets into it somehow and then it gets stuck, and he can’t stop saying it. And he can’t find the word “contributing” when he wants it so he swaps in “creating.”

He described the call as “absolutely perfect.”

It’s odd the way he keeps telling us how “beautiful” his talks with heads of state are. It’s very odd, and seems like classic protesting too much. Why do people protest too much? Because they’re worried or afraid or insecure about the X they’re protesting too much about. What’s Trump insecure about? This whole business of talking to heads of state – of pretending to be a grownup and a normal functioning professional when in reality he’s a child and a bizarre incompetent amateur. He keeps bragging about the talks because he wants us to think he aced this difficult task of faking the Head of State on the Phone act. It’s no good though – we know he didn’t because we know he’s incapable of it.

The plans for Trump’s day out are almost as bizarre.

Trump spoke before a day of travel to Texas and Ohio in the company of foreign leaders.

First comes a visit to Houston for an event with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be held at the city’s pro football stadium. The administration is billing the Texas event – dubbed “Howdy, Modi!” – as the largest gathering ever for a foreign leader (except for the Pope).

And…why? Modi is dreadful. He’s a Hindu nationalist, which is no more benign than being a Christian nationalist or an Islamist. Theocracy is a bad thing, and Modi is a theocrat. Why is Trump giving him the Top Dog treatment? Hell if I know.