First, there's Donald Trump, the guy we saw in the debate, the guy we see at the rallies and the guy Trump is, mostly, on social media. This persona was really the entirety of the campaign in 2016 because there just wasn't any campaign infrastructure around, though a bit was built up in the last couple months. This campaign is mostly about Trump's anger and grievances and shows all the signs not only of his longstanding degeneracy but his cognitive and personal decline over the last decade. Let's call it the Trump campaign.

But then there's an entirely distinct and relatively traditional campaign being run by Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles. That campaign wants to talk about inflation and the southern border. That campaign is running a vast and complex TV air war across all the swing states. Let's call this the "Trump" campaign. For the "Trump" campaign, [immigration and the economy] are the two big winners. You want to have them be the conversation every day.

You and I live in the national media conversation where Trump himself is the dominant story - his tirades, lies, chaos. But in the swing states it's different. That's where the "Trump" campaign is at least trying to and may be able to hold sway. There it's all about the 30-second ads and other kinds of paid messaging.

Trump keeps the hardcore degenerates on side through his stage show, albeit in a diminished form, and the swing state air war aims to pull in the occasional and lightly politicked swing voters.

Just how much these two campaigns interact, get in the way of each other, or keep to their own assignments untroubled will likely play a big role in the outcome of the election.

but after that the real Trump takes over.

In his mind, that's the plan. The people he's talking to know exactly what he's saying in code-speak while the rest of us dismiss it as simply crazy talk.

It's all about stoking fear of the "others" trying to replace the "real Americans" comprising Trump's extended base.

I guess neo-Nazi groups on social media are reacting to Tuesday like the Proud Boys did in 2020. They're giddy about the shout outs.

I am still of the opinion that it is just the real Trump taking over, and the base craves that real Trump, not the campaign-brainwashed Trump.

We're saying the same thing using different words. Trump would always rather be "real" when his professional campaign advisors want him to sometimes focus on policy.

Stephen Miller is supporting the "real conspiracy-spewing, stream of consciousness Trump" while La Civita wants more of the "campaigning Trump."