American political elites held a funeral this past weekend. Little did they know it was more than likely their own.

Senator John McCain, a true American hero, was laid to rest in what became the most overtly political memorial service of a US statesman in decades. McCain, a pillar of the Washington political establishment, was rolled out, even while dead, in an attempt to show the American people the difference between a gentleman and a crude lowlife, i.e., Trump.

Yet all it accomplished was to once again highlight the position of Donald Trump as a dissident within US politics. For what the McCain funeral illustrated was by nearly every measure Donald Trump is being treated by the American political establishment as if he were, and on his part, acting as if he is, a political dissident.

No, Trump's not the Dali Lama. Nor is Amnesty International going to light a candle for him. Yet in the US capital city Trump qualifies as a dissident even by the Webster's definition; "disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief."

Less than 20% of the National Capital Area voted for Trump. In DC he had just 4% of the vote. One cannot find an arm of government, NGO, media organization, or even political party, where Trump had even a toehold on the professionals who operate within Washington. In Washington, Trump is alone.

Admittedly, it is hard to see Trump in the same light of those politically repressed. Dissident is analogous with sympathy. Not even I can make the case that Donald Trump is a sympathetic figure. But that's not the argument.

Forget Trump the man. Many a dissident has been difficult, uncouth, surrounded by less than desirable elements, and in general a pain in the ass. Normal people are not dissidents.

Yes, Trump is under investigation, but dissidents the world over are charged with crimes or under investigation. The point is not the validity of the charges; the point is the DC political establishment is following the same game plan against Trump that less democratic regimes use on their political opponents.

So united in their opposition are DC elites that even as McCain was being buried two third tier foreign policy wannabe's, Tommy Nichols at the US Naval War College and Benny Wittes at the leftwing Brookings Institute, were combining to advocate a revenge campaign against those who support Trump.

Robert Mueller to many in America is a modern day Javier. No serious person defends the actions of ranking FBI and Justice Department officials in the debacle that is the Russian investigation. Even porn stars are granted some moral legitimacy by the anti-Trump media in order to try and bring down Trump.

It's often like watching the United Front in Hong Kong attack the democracy movement. Nothing is too low or dishonest in an effort to keep the upstarts out of power. Yet, what locks Trump into his station as dissident is Trump himself. Donald Trump operates as a dissident.

Whether by rage or plan, by moral insight or selfish agenda, Trump attacks the establishment machine non-stop, knowing that if he halts fighting they will drag him under. As such Trump grants his opponents no moral quarter, no tip of the hat. Trump holds the American political establishment in contempt. They hate him and he hates them back.

It was once said the divide of American politics was the Left thought the Right evil and the Right believed the Left was stupid. Trump dissents. Trump thinks the Left is evil and their stupidity is a danger to all.

I will leave the merits of that argument to others, but if you want to understand the political story of Donald Trump; all his actions and all his responses make sense if one can drop the romantic notion of a dissident and focus on the actions of a dissident.

A dissident is wrecker of political systems, a loner of incredible resolution, and a general pain in the ass. His followers may not be certain of Trump's moral authority, they may recoil at his manner, but they hold a rock solid belief Trump, who registers his dissent in harsh and crude language, will tear down the corrupted system they loath. For those Americans, enough to get him elected, Donald Trump is their dissident President.