Donald John Trump clearly is fixated with macho-sounding language, even as he fails repeatedly to act like the person he portrays himself as being.

He said today at a White House briefing that he considers himself a “wartime president” in light of the struggle the nation is fighting against the coronavirus pandemic.

OK, so he wants to wear the mantle once worn by the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Harry Truman, LBJ and George W. Bush, all of whom presided over a nation that was — and is — engaged in actual wars. Trump now is seeking to elevate the struggle against the coronavirus to what we have faced over many decades.

However, Donald Trump has yet to demonstrate the kind and quality of leadership that previous presidents have sought to exhibit. The federal government is still struggling to clear its throat and speak with a single, united, coherent voice on the fight against the pandemic.

In the meantime, Trump continues to fire salvos at the press, whose job is to chronicle events in real time. Does a “wartime president” actually have the time to concoct idiotic attack lines against the media, leveling ridiculous allegations that the media are deliberately conspiring to undermine him?

Hey, I totally get why Trump wants to be called a “wartime president” in an election year. He likely wants to parlay that label into a campaign mantra, seeking to encourage voters to back him because, well, we’re in the “middle of a war. Why do we want to change commanders in chief when we’re at war?”

It’s a cynical and utterly preposterous notion.