Judging from his HB2 emails, Pat McCrory would fit in fine with Trump. He’s thin-skinned, obsessed with how the media treats him and always whining about unfair coverage.

Now, let’s be fair. All politicians obsess about how the media reports on them.

But here’s what separates leaders from politicians: Leaders learn.

Instead of constantly complaining, McCrory might have read all those stories and thought: Hmmm, HB2 is hurting North Carolina. It’s embarrassing the state. It’s costing us jobs and businesses. Maybe I ought to say it needs to be changed, or revisited, or amended, or something.

The emails make clear McCrory had doubts about HB2 from the start. He feared the legislature would go too far. And it did.

But he didn’t have the backbone to stand up publicly and say what he thought. He signed the bill. Then, when the backlash started, he got his back up. He doubled down. He attacked HB2 opponents in the nastiest, most personal way. He made himself the HB2 poster boy.

Except for that thin skin and thick head, McCrory now would be beginning his second term as Governor.