Has Trump finally gone too far?

Is Trump crazy, as in unhinged and self-destructive?

Or crazy like a fox?

Trump comes across as manic. Yesterday he had ten new statements on his Save America website. https://donaldjtrump.com.  The one that got the most notice was this one:

Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America

If we don’t solve the Presidential Election Fraud of 2020 (which we have thoroughly and conclusively documented), Republicans will not be voting in ‘22 or ‘24. It is the single most important thing for Republican to do.

Won't vote! That must send shivers up the spine of GOP officeholders and candidates.

Five of his statements yesterday were original statements by Trump. Those statements included complaints about judges, election officials and "RINO" (Republicans In Name Only) officeholders who refused to support his effort to overturn elections in swing states. He used vivid, quotable language: "Most corrupt," "viciously," "disgrace," "partisan hacks," and sentences like this, "If we had an honest media this Election would have been overturned many months ago, but our media is almost as corrupt as our political system!"

No doubt these are welcome words to many GOP voters. Polls report that a significant number of them agree with Trump even though those same ballots elected many of the current state and federal officeholders. But angry words of a "viciously" stolen election are not the strongest message for GOP candidates in marginal districts. Better to focus on immigration, border security, inflation, gas prices, Afghanistan. Democrats look divided because they are divided. There is a huge opportunity for Republicans if they are united and stay focused on good issues

There is one big message that saves the day for Biden: He is not Trump. He isn't a wild and crazy guy fixated on reversing an election he lost and willing to overthrow the government to stay in office, and willing to intimidate Republican officeholders into going along with him. Trump just made it harder for Republicans. Trump's criticism of elections may have been the margin that cost two Georgia senators their offices. Now he is doing it again. It is crazy. Right?

Or not. When considering Trump's motives and strategy the best rule of thumb is to think that Trump might not be the impulsive, undisciplined, and seat-of-the-pants goofball that Democrats think he is. There may be method here.

Trump is firming up support for himself, even with the GOP officeholders who have most reason to be alarmed by his talk about boycotting an election. He is sending a warning shot. It is a doomsday ultimatum. The party is in his hands. An election boycott sinks them all. Or he could pick and choose, and punish RINO heretics:

RINOs in the State Senate and House who for, whatever reason, do nothing but obstruct instead of seeking the truth. Hopefully, each one of these cowardly RINOs, whose names will be identified and forthcoming, will be primaried, with my Complete and Total Endorsement, in the upcoming election.

Trump gets credibility  from established GOP stalwarts like Chuck Grassley. Trump needs them to be afraid of him, and they are. He needs them to stay silent and go along with Trump, and they do. Silence is consent. 

People understand the situation backwards when they write that Trump is tearing the GOP  to pieces because he doesn't care about it, only himself. Trump is unifying the GOP like no Republican leader since Ronald Reagan. Go along, or else get cast into the fire the way Liz Cheney was. Trump may not have read Machiavelli, but he understands him. Better to be feared than loved. 

A unified GOP is the surest route back to the White House and control of the government. If he gets 46% of the national vote on election day, he wins the electoral vote and the White House. In close states controlled by a Republican legislature, he won't even need that many.