Trump Begins to Build a Campaign

Rick Klein: “Don’t look now, but Donald Trump is putting together an actual, real-life campaign. He’s hiring new staffers, pushing out opposition research and rapid-response documents, even Tweeting more about the news than about personal grudges. Wednesday’s speech, laying out his anti-Clinton case, will be a major moment for a campaign in desperate need of a new storyline. It has the feel of a major campaign moment – a point where Trump can pivot toward effective messaging, or continue a spiral that he may not be able to end before his convention.”

“Messaging and discipline is one thing, though, and fundraising is another. It’s hard to argue that internal machinations will matter for Trump unless he puts together the kinds of numbers he’ll need to be competitive in terms of advertising and organizing. Even if he were to self-fund, Trump’s promise to do this on his own is essentially hollow; he’ll need the Republican power base on board to compete with the Clinton machine.”

First Read: “Yesterday — the day after Trump dumped Lewandowski — had the feel of a sports team with a new head coach. You immediately saw the change in direction inside of Team Trump. There were the multiple rapid-response emails before and during Clinton’s speech; the campaign took over his Twitter feed; it sent out its first direct fundraising solicitation from Trump; and it finally announced a group of new hires. The question is whether this lasts — because as Washington Redskins fans know all too well, you can fire the coach, but you can’t fire the owner.”