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He's known what he's been walking into since before the nomination, in my opinion. He kept his own private security. He moved his campaign headquarters out of Trump Tower and to his golf course in NJ after a visit from Rogers. He conducts important diplomacy at Mar-a-Lago. He knows.

As far as intel, if it's all suspect then he's looking at it as communicating desired outcomes from the various factions. “This is what they need me to believe or do.” It's not all false, otherwise it's not useful at all and this would be discovered fairly quickly, with the agencies or sources discounted going forward. Weighing that against his own agenda and interests I suspect a certain degree of knowing what is trustworthy and what isn't necessarily trustworthy can be winnowed down. I also suspect there's guidance coming from external friendlies. Yes, they have their own agendas as well.

He's been walking a tightrope for over a year and a half, imho, and has come out in pretty good shape. I think he's capable of dealing with this, more so than anyone else we could have put in there by far and away. Is he perfect? No, not by a long shot, there will be missteps and I hope none are severe but that's certainly a possibility given the circumstances.

But, I shiver at the thought of what a disaster anyone else, for instance Ted Cruz, would have been, had he been confronted with the level of opposition, attempted manipulation, and intrigue that Trump has. He'd have been flat on his face by now and throwing in the towel, whether or not he checks all the boxes for those seeking symbolic representation of their brand of conservatism.

For all the crowing here and elsewhere, 2018 would be looking pretty bad for conservatives with any other Republican that ran in the White House instead of Trump. People who are capable of honest introspection know this.