Politics is a tough business, so you’d think most politicians would be tough people. In fact, in my experience, they’re often not. A lot of people go into politics because they want to be universally liked, and from Abraham Lincoln on down, many of them have detested personal confrontation. Several years ago, it occurred to me that in every administration I had covered to that point – from Ronald Reagan’s through Barack Obama’s – the White House staff seemed to fear the first lady more than they feared the commander-in-chief.

This has obviously changed in recent times. Donald Trump was tough, mean and self-pitying (a nifty combination). President Joe Biden is tougher than he looks. And the woman who is now Trump’s chief challenger, Nikki Haley, is one of the toughest politicians in America – by which I mean confrontational, willing to hammer her foes.