Donald Trump is already attacking special prosecutor Jack Smith by resurrecting the same methods he used to attack former special counsel Robert Mueller, but according to a recent report from Axios, this is probably not a good idea.

One key point the report notes is that Trump is now a private citizen. He no longer enjoys the protections offered by the presidency against facing a criminal indictment during his time in office, Raw Story reports.

But that’s not all. Smith will also be overseeing numerous investigations that have been underway for months, whereas Mueller, right from the very beginning, was running a hugely complicated investigation involving a hostile foreign power.

The outlet also notes there are some experts who are convinced that Smith will be far more aggressive than Mueller was.

“I was described by Steve Bannon… as a pitbull,” wrote former Mueller top prosecutor Andrew Weissman. “Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy.”

I was described by Steve Bannon (and, sigh, many others) as a pit bull. Jack Smith makes me look like a golden retriever puppy. So tenacious and fearless. And apolitical and ethical.

— Andrew Weissmann 🌻 (@AWeissmann_) November 19, 2022

Smith also went up against Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Risen, trying unsuccessfully to get him to reveal sources for his reports on American intelligence programs. Risen argues the former president will be in very real trouble if Smith decides he has committed prosecutable crimes.

“Jack Smith came after me,” Risen wrote in a recent story for The Intercept. “If he goes after Donald Trump with the same unrelenting ferocity, Trump will be in trouble.”

I experienced Jack Smith's zeal firsthand. Will Trump Get the Same Treatment? https://t.co/j0nfY3wKau by @JamesRisen1

— The Intercept (@theintercept) November 23, 2022

In his report, Risen adds that Smith is a former war crimes prosecutor at The Hague and he’s very well-known for his aggressiveness.

“Unfortunately, I have first-hand experience with Smith’s aggressiveness. He was part of the Justice Department team that turned my life upside down by trying, for seven years, to force me to reveal confidential sources that I’d used to report on a botched CIA operation.”

So it looks very much like Trump won’t be able to pull his usual stunts — finger-pointing to deflect blame (something that Mike Pence is all-too-familiar with), playing the victim, and rallying his legions of fanatical supporters to defend him (like he did on January 6). No, none of that is going to work.

Smith’s taciturn, no-nonsense photo is making its way around the internet and the man looks like he’d fit right in on an episode of Vikings. He clearly looks like someone who shouldn’t be messed with. And if there’s one thing Trump likes to do, it’s mess with people.

This ought to be fun.