Trump fights for spotlight as Democrats dominate coverage

Donald Trump held a lengthy news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida

On Thursday, Donald Trump entered a room filled with journalists at his Mar-a-Lago estate for a news conference, his expression noticeably serious.

His appearance followed a week in which Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Tim Walz, had dominated the media spotlight, raised millions of dollars, and enjoyed a boost in the polls. Trump's event seemed more like an effort to reclaim the spotlight than to deliver any major announcements.

Just before Trump approached the podium, one of his advisors sent me a text with a wry observation: "Donald Trump is never boring!!" (The exclamation marks were his.)

The event did include a couple of newsworthy items. Trump announced that he had agreed to participate in a televised debate with Vice President Harris on September 10th. ABC News, the debate host, confirmed that Harris had also agreed to take part.

Trump also mentioned his interest in participating in two more debates, though there's no word yet from Harris's team on whether they’ve agreed to those additional matchups.

Throughout the hour-long event, Trump fielded dozens of questions and criticized Ms. Harris for not taking questions from reporters since becoming the top contender on the ticket.

Much of the event, however, was spent revisiting Trump's old favorites, as if he were drawing from his rally greatest hits. He spoke about poll numbers, the unfair media, the dire state of the country, and even crowd sizes—going so far as to compare his crowds to those of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Historically, Trump has a knack for capturing attention by making controversial statements, and today was no exception. He suggested that America was on the brink of a world war and claimed that Jewish Americans who support Vice President Harris "need to have your head examined."

This struggle for attention is an unusual position for Trump.

The former president is not accustomed to having to fight for the spotlight, particularly in this election cycle. The Biden campaign was content to let Trump dominate the news, believing that the more the race focused on the former president, the better it would be for the current one. The Biden team wanted Trump front and center.

But the shake-up on the Democratic side has been dramatic and newsworthy, pushing Trump off the front pages. To make matters more challenging for the Republican candidate, much of the coverage of Ms. Harris's unexpected rollout as the Democratic candidate has been positive. The Democrats' strategy has flipped.

Right now, Democrats are relishing the media attention. Ms. Harris wants this race to be about her, and with all the political drama on the Democratic side, the press has been more than willing to oblige.

This explains the Mar-a-Lago news conference, which didn't offer much in the way of actual news.

Trump might do better if he follows the advice of Marc Lotter, the Republican strategist who managed communication strategy for his 2020 campaign. Lotter texted me, suggesting that the former president should win back attention by staying focused.

"Define Harris and Walz on policy," he said. "He wins on policy and results."

To be fair, there was some of that at this press event. Trump repeatedly described Ms. Harris as "extreme" and "liberal," while also highlighting his own record on the economy and the border.

But his attacks got somewhat overshadowed by grievances about crowd sizes and how they're reported. He even hinted that there might be something unconstitutional about the Harris campaign.

And then, it was over. Almost as if to prove a point, within minutes of Trump leaving the stage, the fickle cable news cameras had already shifted their focus from Florida to Michigan, where Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz were meeting with union workers. It was the Democrats' turn for some press coverage. Once again.