evidence: It’s why he continues to push debunked election fraud conspiracies. And it’s why he continues to act – for his base – like he is still president. Being able to, in the course of a conversation, to say to someone (using Christie’s words) "I’ve got this classified document" helps preserve the illusion that Trump remains, at some level, still in power. He still (at least his own mind) has the trappings of being president, which allows him to act (and more importantly be regarded) as president. To be clear: The reasons why Trump decided to keep classified materials at Mar-a-Lago to is largely irrelevant as part of the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into his retention of those documents. Trump did what he did and the DOJ investigation is less interested in the "why" than the "what." But as a way to understand Trump’s psyche, Christie’s observation is invaluable. Trump is deeply invested in continuing to appear as though he is president. The retention of classified documents just make him sound and seem like he is still important.