Long before he entered politics, Donald Trump’s life philosophy was “There is no such thing as bad press.” All attention was good attention. He rose to fame and entered the White House, not through hard work, intelligence, or grit but by dominating the conversation. In the 80s and 90s, Trump ruled the tabloids. In the early 2000s, he dominated reality TV; by the 2010s, he was using Twitter to make the press and politicians follow his every whim.

In addition to the business and political benefits, Trump clearly thirsts for media attention and approbation in ways that speak to a sad, lonely existence defined by insecurity and inadequacy (Obama hit the nail on the head).

But now, in the final stretch of the 2024 election, Trump’s strategy is to hide himself from the swing voters.

Trump recently pulled out of a 60 Minutes interview. The CBS program is the gold standard of broadcast news, and it’s the exact sort of establishment outlet Trump desperately sought out in the past. Not this time. Not only did he turn it down, he ceded an hour of primetime coverage to Kamala Harris. More than five million people watched the 60 Minutes election special. Turning down that opportunity could not be more out of character.

Longtime Trump watchers assumed he would eventually acquiesce to a second debate because how could he turn his back on a chance to appear before 70 million people? But alas, Trump turned down the CNN debate last week and declared there would be no rematch. CNN immediately offered Harris and Trump primetime town halls. Harris accepted; Trump has not.

As Ammar Moussa, Kamala Harris’s Director of Rapid Response, pointed out on Twitter, Trump hasn’t done a mainstream press interview in a month; and his last 26 interviews were with conservative media and podcasters. Trump’s newfound reticence is in particular contrast with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s recent media blitz.

Trump’s campaign thinks their best path to victory is for swing voters to see as little of Trump as possible. This is, of course, a counterintuitive approach for any candidate, let alone someone with Trump’s insatiable need for attention. Let’s unpack why Trump’s campaign has adopted this approach.

1. Trump’s Brain is Melting

As I have pointed out in this newsletter before, I am forced by professional obligation to watch almost every Trump rally, speech, and podcast. I am not equipped to make a medical diagnosis, but Trump’s brain is clearly melting before our eyes. The guy is totally incoherent most of the time. He can’t stop talking. Last week, he gave a two-hour speech on the economy and after a full hour, he finally gave his policy announcement (the ostensible reason for the speech). He is mentally incontinent, with craziness just leaking out of his brain at every event. Trump cannot finish a thought without several digressions...