
<p>That may seem to be a preposterous question, but he does say and do things that obviously hurt his own candidacy. ; The question is, “why?”</p>



<p>I cannot know what his top campaign advisors tell him, but virtually every Trump-favorable political activist and strategist, who appears on television in his defense, keep advising him to forget the past grievances, the platitudes, the gratuitous insults, the name calling and picking needless fights. ; They virtually all suggest a laser focus on the critical issues where Trump has a decided advantage over Vice President Harris.</p>



<p>While Trump seems to believe he won in 2016 because of his pugnacious behavior, others (including me) believe he won despite it. ; He was pushed over the top by a GOP tsunami that was rolling across the nation at that time.</p>



<p>Lest we forget &#8230; going into 2016, the GOP held both houses of Congress, two-thirds of the governorships and two-thirds of the state legislatures. The earliest polls suggested a landslide for a generic Republican presidential candidate – with Florida Governor Jeb Bush the early favorite. Even better for the GOP was the fact that Democrats were hellbent on running the relatively unpopular Hillary Clinton – who lost out to President Obama in 2008.</p>



<p>Yes, Trump won in 2016, but his controversial candidacy and the split he caused in the Republican Party tamped down the GOP tsunami. Trump managed to squeak out an Electoral College victory while losing the popular vote. ; Trump’s victory was more the result of riding the residual of the GOP tsunami than creating the winning momentum. ; Neither Trump nor the GOP has done particularly well ever since. ;</p>



<p>Trump does not do well in the polls – never achieving a favorable rating above 50 percent. ; For the past year, he performed ahead of Biden – an 81-year-old, mentally impaired President with an unpopular track record on key issues. ; Had Biden stayed in, Trump would likely have led the GOP to an impressive victory.</p>



<p>At this moment, a Trump victory is still possible &#8212; perhaps even probably. ; But there is no guarantee that his current advantage will last. ; With Biden out, the potential for a GOP landslide is now off the table.</p>



<p>If Trump loses in November, the person most responsible will be &#8230; Trump.  ;It is his to lose, and his personal behavior will be the reason if he does. ; Instead of concentrating his energy and resources on Harris’ unpopular record and his vision of the future, Trump burns up his airtime with counterproductive name-calling – referring to Harris as a “freak” &#8230; having a “low IQ &#8230; and so forth. ; Those kinds of comments do not win votes. ; But they do consume the airtime and print space from statements that would.</p>



<p>There is a downside in obtaining the release of hostages through a prisoner exchange. ; That argument can be made at the same time we celebrate the positive side – as many (including me) have. ; But congratulating Putin is outrageous, wrong morally and strategically stupid. ; It will cost Trump votes.</p>



<p>Gratuitously attacking Georgia’s very popular Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was unnecessary and counterproductive. Trump needs the Kemp and Raffensperger voters to win the Peach State. Rapprochement would have been smarter than reproachment.</p>



<p>Trump had a gift in Biden. ; Contrary to his cheerleaders, Biden and his policies were not popular with the voters – and the polls showed it. ; When the mental acuity issue burst forward, Trump was estimated to be a certain winner &#8212; by Republicans AND by Democrats. ; The latter is the reason that Biden is no longer in the race.</p>



<p>Harris is a fully able opponent who is only tangentially associated with the unpopular policies of Biden. ; She embraced and supported them, for sure &#8212; but was not primarily responsible for creating them. ; It gives her a little wiggle room – and she is using the opportunity to redefine herself away from her past far left statements and actions.</p>



<p>Harris’ own policies – as she articulated in the past – are even further to the left of Biden. This gives Trump and Republicans an advantage if they focus on them.</p>



<p>Trump cannot stumble his way across the finish line this time. ; He cannot count on winning in the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. ; He is going to have to sharpen up his game – and give up the personal grievance approach to myopically expound on the real issues. ; Of course, that is if he wants to win.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Does Trump really want to win?
