Feed the Base

After the first presidential debate on Monday, the Republican nominee told reporters “absolutely I would” honor the results of the election should he lose.

  Guardian

He also said that during the debate. Lester Holt had to ask it, get a non-answer, and ask it again, but he did then flat out say he'd honor the results if Hillary wins.

In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, he backtracked: “We’re going to have to see. We’re going to see what happens. We’re going to have to see.”

Like we didn't know that was coming.

The Republican nominee also spoke at length with the Times about the marital infidelities of former president Bill Clinton, insisting: “Hillary was an enabler, and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it’s a serious problem for them, and it’s something that I’m considering talking about more in the near future.”

Seriously. Because his own sexual/marital history is flawless? He has an answer for that:

Trump refused to speak about his affair with Marla Maples during his first marriage to Ivana Trump, which was aired widely in tabloids in the 1990s, as was his subsequent divorce and third marriage.

“I don’t talk about it,” Trump said. “I wasn’t president of the United States."

And I can see him thinking the Clinton affairs would be a great topic for the second debate. I'll be watching for it.

On Friday, Trump used Twitter for a predawn rant about Machado, which Clinton called evidence that he was “temperamentally unfit” to lead.

Also, that he's a total nut job.

Donald Trump told a crowd of 7,500 on Tuesday night that he held back during his first presidential debate with Hillary Clinton because he did not want to embarrass his opponent.

“I was holding back,” the Republican presidential candidate said. “I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass her.”

  The Guardian

Hahaha. Whatever. It's obvious it's impossible for him to embarrass himself.

Three times in the course of a rally in Florida, Trump called out “the corrupt corporate media” and gestured towards his supporters to turn towards the press pen to boo, hiss and even, in one instance, shout “go to hell”.

Trump constantly revisited different moments in the debate and told of how, before taking the stage, “I took a deep breath and pretended I was talking to my family.”

If they were anyone other than who they are, I'd feel very sorry for them.

Mr. Trump said he did not think he needed to prepare more rigorously for the next debate than he did for the first one, because any shortcomings on Monday, he argued, were because of a problem with the microphone at his lectern, which he “spent 50 percent of my thought process” dealing with.

[...]

In the interview Friday afternoon, Mr. Trump said he would begin preparing as soon as this weekend for the next debate, on Oct. 9, and would be plotting ways to attack Mrs. Clinton on policy issues like trade and national security, as well as to unnerve her with possible targets like her husband’s past. 

   NYT

So which is it? Need to prepare or not?

“I have the issues on my side,” he said bullishly, “and I have Trump, which I’ll take.”

[...]

“[Hillary]’s nasty, but I can be nastier than she ever can be,” Mr. Trump said.

There's a fine goal.  A very presidential temperament.

Feed that base.  But, beware...

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.