NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — donald trump likes to be the center of attention.
But in the days since President Joe Biden disastrous debate performance, the presumptive Republican nominee has kept a low profile, leaving the focus on the drama surrounding the Democratic Party as he and his campaign revel in a series of legal and political victories heading into the Republican National Convention this month.
Trump’s run began last week during the first debate when Biden had such a dismal performance that he has spent the days since then fending off calls from alarmed Democrats to step aside and save the party from defeats at the polls.
On Monday, the US Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, limiting prosecution of Trump for his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss to Biden. He will almost certainly not be tried before Election Day.
And on Tuesday, the judge at Trump’s criminal trial in New York postponed his sentence to assess the impact of the Supreme Court decision.
The flood of good news – along with a huge fundraiser That erased what had been a substantial monetary advantage for Biden — it gave Trump and his team cause for celebration as they head to the convention this month. And it frustrated Biden supporters who would rather focus on Trump’s decisions. comprehensive agenda for the second term and comments he made during the debate downplaying the Capitol riot and suggesting that he may not accept the results of this election either.
Instead of taking a victory lap, Trump has been in hiding. Although he gave several radio interviews over the weekend and was active on his Truth Social website, he has no public events on his calendar this week.
This is partially a function of the calendar with the 4th of July on Thursday. But Trump’s team, recognizing that Biden’s campaign faces intense pressure, is perfectly content to keep the focus on the incumbent, according to people familiar with the strategy who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the campaign’s thinking.
Brendan Buck, a Republican strategist who does not support Trump, gave the former president credit for what he called an “unusually disciplined” response to the debate and for “letting Biden go with the wind.”
But he said challenges remain for the former president as he seeks a second term.
“Trump still remains an incredibly vulnerable and bad candidate. And that’s what makes this whole thing so much worse,” he said of the debate debacle. “I think Donald Trump is still very capable of screwing up.”
In a statement, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: “In a few weeks, a unified and enthusiastic Republican Party will formally nominate President Trump, and at that time he will select America’s next vice president from from an impressive field of elected officials and business leaders. , either of which will represent a major upgrade for the current vice president.”
“Team Trump will continue to build on the momentum built by President Trump to grow our movement, raise the money we need to win, and head into the fall poised for a historic victory,” she added.
Recent events could also have an impact on the timing of Trump’s vice-presidency – an announcement that is sure to attract a lot of attention and a flurry of stories about the chosen candidate’s record and past statements.
Campaign officials have repeatedly said that Trump will announce his pick when he is ready and have warned that an announcement could come at any time.
But some allies said they believe he is now more likely to wait.
“Donald Trump has a hot hand. He’s playing it perfectly,” said Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, who traveled with him to the June 27 debate and is now a senior adviser to the convention. Given the current situation, Lewandowski said, “there is no reason to announce anything and divert media attention from Joe Biden.”
Although the election is still months away, Lewandowski argued that Trump is in a stronger position now than he was at this point during his previous campaigns.
“All of these things are indications that the campaign is trying to keep its foot on the gas and keep the pressure on the Biden campaign,” he said.
Meanwhile, advisers are rejoicing over Biden’s campaign problems. Steven Cheung, Trump’s top spokesman, called into a Biden campaign media conference call held Monday to respond to the Supreme Court ruling and mocked the campaign on social media for letting him join.
On Tuesday, Cheung joked about interrupting an upcoming White House staff call.
Biden and his allies, however, have tried to return the focus to Trump. They noted that Trump again downplayed the violence of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol during the debate and refused to denounce those who attacked police officers and broke into the building, breaking doors and windows.
Trump has also repeatedly refused to state unequivocally that he would accept the results of the November election, saying he would do so only “if it were a fair, legal and good election.” There’s no reason to think it won’t be, even if Trump for years has spread false fears about voter fraud.
Democrats also drew attention to Trump’s mention of migrants entering the U.S. illegally, leading “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs” argue that Trump was insulting people of color.
And Biden and his allies have warned about the implications of the Supreme Court ruling declaring Trump immune from prosecution for key moments listed in the Jan. 6 indictment. They cited Trump’s previous comments that he would be a “dictator” on his first day in office it’s him threats to prosecute political enemies.
Over the weekend, Trump shared several posts on his Truth Social network reflecting his grievances and threats of political retaliation. One of the posts suggested that former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican critic, was “guilty of treason” and asked supporters to share the fact if they wanted “televised military tribunals.” Another post featured photos of Biden and other senior Democratic and Republican officials and suggested they should be arrested.
“Trump now has the cover he needs to arrest and assassinate his opponents, instruct the military to overturn a free and fair election, and take money in bribes for pardons – with full immunity,” accused Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa. in a statement. “This November, voters must stop Trump from turning the Oval Office into his throne room.”
Trump has a long history of turning otherwise devastating, career-ending episodes into campaign fuel.
Although he was indicted four times and convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, his criminal trial and conviction appear to have done little to harm his poll standing and instead helped him raise millions of dollars. dollars.
His campaign announced Tuesday that it had surpassed Biden in the second quarter of the yearwith a reported profit of $331 million.
In a sign of how Trump’s opponents feel about the state of the race, Buck, the Republican strategist, warned that the former president could be in trouble if the fallout from the debate somehow knocks Biden out of the race, although that currently appears unlikely. . Trump could then face a fresher face, potentially more energetic and better campaigner than Biden.
“This lucky week could turn into bad luck,” Buck said, “if it means Biden dropping out.”
