Since he rode down that escalator in 2015, Donald Trump has been the axis upon which American politics has rotated. He set the narrative, drove the ratings and clicks, and was the focal point of the Democratic Party’s messaging. In 2016 and 2020, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden built Trump-focused campaigns. In 2022, Democrats repeatedly MAGAfied Republican candidates to paint them as extreme. Every conversation about politics began and ended with Trump.

Eight weeks ago, Kamala Harris changed everything. The tremendous enthusiasm and interest that greeted her entry into the race shifted the focus away from Trump. For the first time in a long time, politics was about something other than Donald Trump. On the trail and in their convention speeches, Harris and Walz mentioned Trump, but he was not the focus.

Well, he’s back.

For good or for ill, Trump recaptured the political conversation when he started yelling about people eating cats and dogs at the debate and never stopped.

Even before this most recent assassination attempt, Trump had once again become the focus on the campaign. It started with his miserably embarrassing performance at the debate followed by a week-long temper tantrum complaining about the moderators and pushing the dangerous lie that Haitian migrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. Trump continues to lie about Springfield even though his running mate admits they fabricated the story and Springfield residents have been besieged with bomb threats.

Some Democrats worry that Trump’s Springfield rants are a clever ploy to draw attention back to immigration — his strongest issue. Are they right? Should we be worried?...