One thing I think we haven’t discussed in sufficient detail is WHY the campaign is so low key. I have many thoughts, and the internet has far more, but I think it’s worthy of discussion.
Personally, I think he declared for two main reasons, 1) thinking it might help him dodge some of the storm of lawsuits headed his way and 2) it would make EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM AGAIN.
And both of those have failed miserably. The legal boots just keep coming down, and people are just not interested in him right now. Especially those that he depends on for his energy, the folks at Fox news. Instead they just kept talking about the Georgia run-off, McCarthy, DeSantis, and other people. Combine that with how he isn’t getting the love or attention he needs at home (even he realizes his elder sons are a bunch of drooling hyenas, and Ivanka says she loves him but doesn’t return his calls or visit!) and he just isn’t motivated to go out there and DO things.
AND, at some level, I think the fact that he isn’t liked as much anymore is slowly starting to percolate through his orange frosted head… the one thing he seemed to like about being a politician was going out and being adored by thousands, tens of thousands, the most people EVER but all reports indicate that each event since mid 2020 have been more thinly populated. Sure, he wants their money, but he is likely protecting himself from seeing it in a way he cannot ignore.
So he’s sulking at home, and letting people come to him, which of course suits his ego just fine, until it backfires like Ye theoretically inviting HIM, DJT, to be a VP.
This is not to say the election still isn’t his to claim (if he can be bothered) or spoil (if he feels snubbed). I’ve said in other forums, that if he pivots off the ‘stolen election’ and back to weaponized hate, he’ll likely snatch back all the glory and cow his competition. With legitimate (for R) concerns on the border, he could point to his accomplishments there, several sections of improved border wall that was “only held back by the evil D in congress”, whip up the hate, and point at (more or less legitimate) failures on Biden’s government on changing the situation.
Hate sells for Trump. And it would bypass DeSantis’ plane to MV stunt as well. Combine it with any of his other best sellers (Hunter, cover ups) and how none of this Ukraine (and high gas prices/inflation) would have happened if HE’D been in charge, and his numbers would skyrocket.
Of course, that would mean he’d have to leave his comfy hole in the mud, and might have to give up on how terribly wronged he was in 2020. Thankfully (?) his ego doesn’t seem to let him let go of that fact.
Fun theories about why he hasn’t campaigned I’ve seen on the net though:
4D Chess
“Q/China/Putin/Pillow-head is going to reveal X next month/after new congress is seated/in two weeks which will blow open everything and that’s when Trump will make his move!”
Wishful thinking
“Trump is actually very ill / dying / too old to go out there but is concealing it from everyone!”
Transactional
“Trump is waiting for DeSantis or one of the others to buy him out - this is his opening bid, and he’ll walk away from the election if the funds and/or promise of a pardon are delivered.”
Conspiratorial
“Trump is waiting on orders from Putin - who is waiting to see how winter plays out with his war. Once Putin decides, Trump will jump!”
And on and on and on.
I’ll stick to his petulance and self-absorption for now, since it seems the easiest and most consistent with his behavior to date, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the transactional one above plays into it as well.
