Trump could improve his standing immediately, Steele suggested, if he began to focus more on issues and less on fights and feuds with other Republicans and members of the news media.

“Absolutely leave that stuff behind. No one wants to hear their presidential candidates fighting with people about things that are wholly irrelevant to the job of being president,” Steele said.

“At his core, there is a good message he can share on the economy; there’s a good message he can talk about on foreign policy. He can make the argument — so make the argument. Let’s not talk about things that are distracting people’s attention.”

Several strategists agreed that a strong choice of vice president could also help unite the party and prove to skeptical voters that Trump is a credible choice for the White House. More generally, they insist greater discipline about driving his chosen message of the day is a must.

But they were unanimous in viewing the current state of the campaign as imperiled.