Interpreting Donald Trump can be a bit of a challenge. It requires shutting down that portion of the brain dedicated to interpreting metaphors and similes, not looking for any sign of nuance or subtlety, and remembering that references to “experts,” “generals,” or “everyone” just means voices in Trump’s head. So what does Trump mean when he threatens to go it alone?
"We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself. I'll do very well. I'm going to do very well. OK? I'm going to do very well. A lot of people thought I should do that anyway, but I'll just do it very nicely by myself," Trump said, though he did not elaborate on what doing it "by myself" would mean.
From this we can gather that Trump believes he’ll do well. Very well. But when he says “by myself,” what is he saying?
Early in the process, Republican leaders tried to secure a pledge from Trump that he would not make a third-party run if he failed to capture the nomination. That was in the days when all of the “serious” pundits were convinced that after an early flirtation with Trump, Republican voters would soon gather behind one of the real candidates and leave Trump pouting on the sidelines. Once Trump secured the nomination, the effort flipped, with the concentration being getting rank and file Republican leaders lined up behind the party’s nominee.
Only now, with the depths of Trump’s disconnection from reality becoming ever more clear and his popularity plunging, Republicans are desperately trying to keep their distance through means that range from double talk to double-timing it away from any reporters. Talk of a coup at the Republican convention, which had died down to a mumble during the “back Trump” weeks, is once again rising to a roar—though no one has quite figured out how to make it work.
So when Trump talks about going it alone, is he anticipating some move by the party to push him ravening into the night, or is he really talking about taking vengeance on the Republicans who fail to recognize that it’s his party now?
"You know the Republicans, honestly folks, our leaders, our leaders have to get tougher," Trump said during a rally in Atlanta. "Our leaders have to get a lot tougher. And be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don't talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet to the leaders because they have to get tougher, they have to get sharper, they have to get smarter."
Hey, at least he said “our leaders,” so maybe he thinks he is going to stay with the Republicans. Democrats can only hope.