Having traded away a long-shot (and expensive) third-party option, Trump has gained much. Number one, as his campaign is quick to point out, the party’s loyalty pledge also applies to the other 16 candidates in the race. “It’s a positive sign that all the other candidates are agreeing to support Mr. Trump when he’s the nominee,” Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told me. Prior to this week, that was an open question. As Trump’s poll numbers surged this summer, there was a push by the GOP establishment to exclude him from debates, potentially keep him off primary ballots, or even discuss funding a third-party challenge.

Trump has also neutralized an obvious line of attack in the second GOP debate that airs on CNN on September 16. This week, Jeb Bush unleashed an attack ad calling out Trump for being a fake Republican. Trump can now point to the pledge as a credible defense. “At the CNN debate they can’t accuse him of being disloyal,” Stone says.

Most important, by making peace with the GOP, Trump has quieted one front and can now focus on other battles. As one Trump friend told me: “He can’t fight a three-front war against the RNC, Murdoch, and the Kochs.”