Trump slips to second. Can he make his campaign great again?
It鈥檚 finally happened: Donald Trump has dropped to second place in some national polls.
础苍听 released Monday found retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on top of the Republican presidential field, with 29 percent of the vote, compared with 23 percent for business mogul Trump. This follows last week鈥檚 survey, which had Dr. Carson up on Mr. Trump by four points, 26 to 22 percent.
True, Trump still leads in the RealClearPolitics rolling average of major surveys. But it鈥檚 a small margin of 1.3 percentage points, and his trend line points down, while Carson鈥檚 points sharply up. It鈥檚 almost inevitable that The Donald falls to second in this measure, too.
That would be huge. How is Trump going to handle life as a poll loser? After all, much of his political persona centers on winning. He鈥檚 mentioned his poll leads in virtually every political appearance since climbing to the top of the polling world.
Well, he鈥檚 probably got a plan to Make His Campaign Great Again. Based on his behavior in recent days, we鈥檇 guess this is what it includes:
Spin the numbers. Asked about Carson on Tuesday during an appearance on ABC鈥檚 鈥淕ood Morning America,鈥� Trump pointed out (rightly) that most of the phone calls made for the NBC/WSJ poll that shows him behind came before the most recent GOP debate.
鈥淚 think after the debate you鈥檒l see something different,鈥� Trump said.
Maybe. Trump鈥檚 fond of citing some less-than-rigorous online polls that judged him the winner of the chaotic CNBC debate rumble. In general, Trump does better in automated online surveys than in old-fashioned polls that involve pollsters actually calling people on the phone, as Philip Bump of The Washington Post . Those are the numbers he鈥檒l probably be talking about in days to come.
Dial up the insults. Trump has targeted Carson in recent days with his patented harsh critiques. During his ABC interview Tuesday, The Donald said that Carson doesn鈥檛 have the temperament or the experience to be president.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not his thing,鈥� Trump said of the neurosurgeon.
China鈥檚 a ferocious economic competitor and tough negotiating adversary, Trump said. The implication: The Chinese would roll over the gentle, soft-spoken Carson.
Trump also took aim at Marco Rubio, the more conventional candidate now rising in the polls. 鈥淚鈥檓 not a fan. I think he鈥檚 overrated,鈥� Trump said.
Stage more events. On Tuesday, Trump also had a splashy release and autograph event for his new book, 鈥淐rippled America: How to Make America Great Again.鈥� He boasted that some fans waited in line for 12 hours to score a signed copy of this 17-chapter campaign manifesto.
The cover features a glowering Trump visage. He looks angry enough to fire all the voters he sees. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really got to be the picture because the book is explaining all that鈥檚 wrong with the country,鈥� said Trump on Tuesday.
It鈥檚 probably a coincidence that the book came out just as Trump slipped in poll positioning. But it鈥檚 no accident that it came at a point when the newness of the Trump campaign would probably have lost its shine, and he鈥檇 need something fresh to re-attract the press.
Look for more such staged events to boost Trump鈥檚 already moon-high public profile. Gee, if only he鈥檇 host 鈥淪aturday Night Live.鈥�...
