Trump has responded to his slump in the polls by lobbing a fusillade of attacks against American democracy itself. For more than a week now, the centerpiece of his stump speeches has been the claim that the race is being “rigged” by a vast conspiracy that includes the Clintons, global elites and their minions in the media. Trump has charged Republican leaders of disloyalty and attempted to sow doubts about the integrity of election results. It’s a strategy designed to energize his core right-wing supporters. And while some advisers believe the GOP nominee stands to benefit from depressed turnout, all this ugliness is doing little to persuade swing voters.

Trump faces a important tactical decision on Wednesday night: use his largest remaining audience before Nov. 8 to amplify this “rigged election” argument, or seize the moment to make a sober case that he is prepared to be president. There are signs that Trump may be preparing to shift gears. He announced Tuesday that he would push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, part of what his campaign called a “pledge to drain the swamp in Washington.” And he released a new 30-second ad, titled “Change,” that casts Clinton as a D.C. institution beholden to special interests. These are some of the themes that helped Trump rampage through the Republican primaries as a conquering outsider.