Of all the strategies Ron DeSantis could deploy in the first RNC presidential primary debate, this is certainly … one of them. According to a leaked super-PAC memo seen by the New York Times and NBC News, the Florida governor’s allies urge him to go on the attack, but not against Donald Trump. Instead, they want DeSantis to “take a sledgehammer” Vivek Ramaswamy and parry Chris Christie.

Combined polling on RCP at the moment for Ramaswamy and Christie: 9.0% to Trump’s 54.6%.

So — assuming this memo is authentic — what about the clear polling leader? You know, the one who’s taking every opportunity to troll DeSantis directly and through proxies? Er …

“There are four basic must-dos,” one of the memos urges Mr. DeSantis, whom the document refers to as “GRD.”

“1. Attack Joe Biden and the media 3-5 times. 2. State GRD’s positive vision 2-3 times. 3. Hammer Vivek Ramaswamy in a response. 4. Defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack.”

The documents were posted this week on the website of Axiom Strategies, the company owned by Jeff Roe, the chief strategist of Mr. DeSantis’s super PAC, Never Back Down.

The New York Times was alerted to the existence of the documents by a person not connected to the DeSantis campaign or the super PAC. After The Times reached out to Never Back Down for comment on Thursday, the group removed from the website a key memo summarizing the suggested strategy for the debate.

Note well that this was apparently among a group of strategy memos. This may not represent the consensus in NBD. It is, though, still an odd strategy for DeSantis to pursue, unless he wants to be Trump’s wingman in the general election. And I don’t think for a moment that DeSantis wants to be Trump’s running mate in 2024, not when he could just return to Florida and regroup for 2028 instead. Even if that looked like a viable career path, Trump has a nasty habit of torpedoing people who provide him assistance at the first sign of independent thought.

The same memo explains why DeSantis should defend Trump and rebut Christie — to white-knight for the MAGA crowd:

“Defend Trump when Chris Christie attacks him,” the memo reads, adding a potential line for DeSantis to use on stage in Milwaukee against the former governor of New Jersey: “Trump isn’t here so let’s just leave him alone. He’s too weak to defend himself here. We’re all running against him. I don’t think we want to join forces with someone on this stage who’s auditioning for a show on MSNBC.”

On Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old businessman whose long-shot campaign has seen upward movement in the polls in recent weeks, the DeSantis allies write that the Florida governor needs to “take a sledge-hammer” to him, calling him “Fake Vivek” or “Vivek the Fake.”

So not only is DeSantis supposed to defend Trump, he’s also supposed to adopt Trump’s playground taunting? Why not just announce that he’s endorsing Trump and get it over with?

As far as “too weak to defend himself,” that’s a laughable description. If Trump isn’t on stage, it’s because Trump chose not to be there. No one should feel compelled to pass on criticism for a deliberate absence, although if it were health-related, there might be an argument for it. And while there is plenty of campaign to conduct before polling really starts to matter, the obvious truth at this stage is that Trump is the strongest candidate in the field.

Speaking of weakness, would a defense of Trump at the same time that Trump and his surrogates are attacking and trolling DeSantis make the Florida governor look … strong? Like a fighter? Or like someone who’s sucking up for approval, either from Trump himself or the die-hard MAGA voters who are sticking with Trump no matter what? Come on, man. I hesitate to use the word, but that’s cuckville, and that’s exactly how it will be seen, too.

As I wrote yesterday … it’s beginning to look a lot like 2015.

None of this advice speaks to DeSantis’ strengths. DeSantis has the most current political relevance of anyone on stage. He won a landslide in a purple state through focused leadership, organization, and fighting against the GOP’s political and cultural opponents, not other Republicans. DeSantis has taken concrete steps to drain Florida’s political swamp, especially in prosecutors’ offices and Academia. Any debate strategy that diverts from DeSantis’ strengths loses the thread, and likely the debate.

No one at NBD or Team DeSantis is asking for my advice, but here it is anyway: Focus all attacks on Joe Biden. Forcefully rebut attacks from others on stage while using the lead among the Not Trump lane to argue for party unity under DeSantis’ leadership. When Trump comes up, assertively contrast the two records to show how Trump identified the agenda but DeSantis actually accomplishes it. Don’t defend or attack anyone, especially with stupid name-calling. Assume the mantle of party leadership for a new generation, and contrast that against the has-beens and never-wases on the stage. Be the adult in the room, not the toady.

That may not be enough to knock Trump out of the lead this week, or this month. Maybe it won’t be enough to win in this cycle. But that’s how DeSantis can build a lasting brand rather than become one of a number of failed Trump clones in the GOP.