Trump doesn’t really mean what he says. He’s just trying to change the subject.

In the face of falling poll numbers, Donald Trump has argued that this year’s election may be rigged, and also this week made a veiled threat towards Hillary Clinton by invoking the Second Amendment. But does Trump really mean everything he says? Probably not, writes Ben Margulies, who argues that Trump is merely redeploying existing Republican rhetoric more sharply and to bigger audiences. He argues that Trump’s comments are designed to further develop his populist rhetoric, and to take control of the media agenda, something he needs to do given his recent polling.