'Smartest play': Internet agrees with Steve Stivers as he says Donald Trump has 'done a good job' laying low after presidential debate

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Representative Steve Stivers has explained why the campaign of former president Trump is remaining silent following last week's successful debate performance, a highly uncommon behavioral trait which the Republicans are not quite used to. 

Usually a brazen and gregarious contender, Trump has now surprisingly adopted a more measured stance in the face of the chaos and confusion surrounding President Joe Biden's political future.

Steve Stivers explains why Donald Trump is laying low

“When your opponent is blowing himself up, don’t interrupt … There’s no reason to insert yourself in that conversation,” former Representative Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), a former chair of the House GOP campaign arm, said of Trump laying low, according to The Hill. “The discipline is smart on this topic, and he’s done a good job at that," he added.

“Nobody in the Democratic Party cares about what Trump thinks whether Biden’s the candidate, so why talk,” he continued, adding “I’m glad to see he’s learned from 2020 because he wasn’t very disciplined then. I think it speaks to him learning from the past.” 

Donald Trump and his team are running a cleaner operation unlike previous instances

Republicans claim that the post-debate slump is a sign of a much longer trend. In comparison to his prior campaigns, Trump and his staff are managing a more orderly, disciplined, and buttoned-up operation. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, the two main players on Team Trump, have been largely praised for their handling of the campaign. 

Legislators and party officials also claim to have observed a more disciplined and subdued side of the former president in the recent months. Some have highlighted his visit to Capitol Hill last month, which included a flawless meeting with senators, as a prime example.

Senator Markwayne Mullin says Donald Trump has become more disciplined

This even included him offering Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and other Republicans who have previously criticized him what Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla), an ally of Trump, called an "olive branch."

“Slowly, he’s become more and more disciplined in public,” said Mullin, who has met and spoken privately with Trump during the campaign. “What you’re seeing is a complete different approach and leadership style,” Mullin added.

Mullin added, “How hard could he really go on Joe Biden, because people did start feeling sorry for him. At some point if he goes too hard, it’s almost like he’s acting like a bully, and he’s already been accused of that before, so he kind of does have to dial it down because there’s no question that something’s completely off mentally with Biden.”

Markwayne Mullin noted other instances of restraint by Donald Trump this year

Mullin cited additional instances of Trump's prudence this year, such as his decision to postpone eliminating the national security supplemental that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) assisted in guiding through Congress and his recent support of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan's (R) bid for the Senate in the deep blue state.

Republicans as well as the former president are advising each other to keep their eyes on the prize come November while Democrats consider their own party's fate with or without Biden.

“The question is will Biden be their nominee through November, and that’s totally a Democrat decision,” said David Polyansky, a longtime GOP political operative who served as deputy campaign manager for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign. “We need to stay the heck out of that. That’s not our fight, not our problem,” Polyansky added.

Donald Trump’s donors are noticing his newfound discipline 

Meanwhile, Trump's backers are taking note of his improved self-control and hope it lasts. “The campaign desperately wants him to be quiet,” said Dan Eberhart, a Trump donor, noting that Trump has been “more disciplined than in the past.”

Additionally, Trump is currently going through what may be the most fortunate period of his campaign. In addition to the debate, on Monday, July 1, the Supreme Court granted Trump presidential immunity, delaying his sentencing in the hush money trial in New York City.

The first post-debate polls are also bonding well for the former president

Moreover, encouraging for the outgoing president are the initial post-debate polls. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Wednesday, July 3, Trump's lead over Biden increased to eight points. Following the debate, supporters of Trump have also been quick to highlight a Saint Anselm College poll that shows Trump surpassing Biden in the blue state of New Hampshire.

“If President Trump essentially stays pretty mellow and quiet, it’ll be a referendum on Joe Biden’s ability, and it takes away all of the critique of him and his style,” said Chris Ager, chair of the New Hampshire GOP. “Let the focus be on do you want four more years of Joe Biden,” he added.

Several allies regret only that the debate happened now rather than in the fall. “He probably had the best debate of his life — probably too good of a good debate to be honest,” Mullin said, adding “I wish now we would have had the debate after the Democratic convention just so they couldn’t have this debate about replacing him.”

Internet praises Donald Trump's new persona after CNN debate 

Netizens seemed to notice the new side of the former US president as well following the CNN debate last week. One X user tweeted, "He's just watching democrats self-destruct." Another said, "Why interrupt your opponent while they are destroying themselves?" "This is the smartest play trump has ever done," added one user. "Biden is imploding. They don't need to do anything really," remarked a user. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.