Paul Waldman writes:

President Trump and his allies are putting nearly as much effort into convincing people that they’re going to win in November as they are into actually trying to win.

Or at least it might seem that way if you watch what they say in public. Lately, it seems to have gone beyond just projecting confidence into a realm where collective delusions are crafted.

Take, for example, the question of money. Here’s an announcement Trump’s campaign manager made Monday:

Quite a birthday gift for @realDonaldTrump yesterday!

Biggest single-day ONLINE fundraising total ever – $14 million.

That’s grassroots support that Sleepy @JoeBiden can only dream of.

The enthusiasm gap is real and it is wide!#MakeAmericaGreatAgain!https://t.co/WRhOrNzOmD

— Brad Parscale (@parscale) June 15, 2020

Every campaign likes to tout its fundraising success, and that is indeed an impressive haul for one day. But here’s the inescapable reality of fundraising in 2020: Trump will vastly outspend Joe Biden and not get much for all his money.

In fact, as of April 30, the Trump campaign had already spent an incredible $172 million; affiliated outside groups had spent another $36 million on his behalf. And what did they get for it? The consultants are certainly getting rich, but Trump trails Biden by an average of eight points in polls, and his approval ratings are falling. [Continue reading…]