By most accounts, former President Trump’s re-election campaign has gotten off to a less-than-stellar start. In order to get back on track, the Wall Street Journal reports that his campaign is going to focus on smaller, policy-focused events instead of big campaign rallies, at least for the coming months. This is a smart move.

It was odd enough that Trump announced his candidacy before the midterm run-off in Georgia was even over. But then a series of missteps occurred and questions arose of whether or not Trump is serious about a presidential campaign. He obviously announced his candidacy so early so that he cleared the field of any competition. He thought he would scare off any other Republicans who were thinking about running – especially Governor Ron DeSantis. So far, speculation of others who may or may not jump in has not slowed.

Trump is the subject of ongoing investigations, both in New York and in Washington, D.C. Some people speculate that he announced his candidacy early to try to avoid being subpoenaed, to slow down investigations. Meanwhile, some of his actions have been questionable. He had dinner with Ye and a white supremacist at Mar-a-Lago after Ye’s anti-Semitic rant on Twitter. The fact the dinner happened at all showed that those working for him failed him. They should have known better and made sure the dinner didn’t happen. He suggested that the Constitution be suspended and he be declared the winner of the 2020 election. The latest misstep was the sale of the virtual trading cards with the superhero theme. Sure, they are reported to have sold out quickly and he made a lot of money but it was a non-serious and greedy-looking thing to do. It was a quick cash grab that garnered attention. His campaign advisers must have been surprised by the negative reactions that followed Trump’s latest move because they soon released Trump’s policy on free speech “reform” in government agencies, the tech industry, and universities.

His most loyal supporters said Trump did the whole thing on purpose. He got everyone’s attention with the superhero bit and then he introduced his policy. I don’t buy that, but you can make your own determination. What it did do, though, is put the focus on Trump’s policies he will campaign on. That is how it should be. If he is to be taken seriously, he has to present himself as a serious candidate.

Rather than staging signature, large-scale rallies, the plan calls for Mr. Trump to tour key states and conduct smaller policy events, focusing on crime, border security, foreign policy, big tech and the economy, according to people involved in the preparation. Rallies would resume later in the year; advisers said it was never the plan to do such events early on.

The goal of the policy events, these people said, is to remind voters of the ideas Mr. Trump advanced during his time in office, which remain popular among Republicans even if his personal style isn’t. The Journal poll showed roughly 90% of Republicans approved of the job he did as president, compared with 71% who viewed him favorably as a person.

“Americans are focused on the economy, focused on inflation,” said Rep. Randy Weber (R., Texas) when asked how Mr. Trump’s new presidential bid was going. “If he runs on his record, he’s got a lot to run on.”

This is the smart way forward for Trump, if he carries it out. Trump had a successful presidency and was expected to be re-elected right up until the pandemic hit. The majority of Trump’s policies were conservative and he carried out promises he made. The economy was booming and all demographics benefitted from his policies. Trump brought in working class voters and minorities that Republicans had failed to inspire in previous elections. He has much he can point to as successes. That should be his focus when he talks about the past, not the 2020 election.

Trump is good when it comes to the topics voters are most concerned about now. For example, he can talk about inflation and the economy as a businessman. He can talk about the Biden border crisis because it has been accelerated because Biden stopped Trump’s successful policies and agreements that helped secure the border during his administration. Trump ran on the problems of illegal immigration in 2015.

He is filling positions in his campaign and relying on seasoned professionals. He’s keeping his inner circle of staffers small for now.

Mr. Trump’s campaign will be led by longtime adviser Susie Wiles, who oversaw his 2016 and 2020 victories in Florida, and Chris LaCivita, a Virginia-based strategist known for orchestrating attacks on the military record of John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee. A number of top positions have been filled, with Brian Jack and Boris Epshteyn tapped as senior advisers. The plan is to keep the core team smaller early on, according to people familiar with the decision. Staff picks in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early states are expected to be announced soon.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called the race a marathon and said the campaign was assembling a team that would “give us a tremendous advantage as we get further into the election cycle.”

Trump has loyal supporters who will continue to stick with him, no matter what. However, that group is not enough to get him re-elected. It seems to me he was expecting more of a coronation than a re-election campaign and that’s a mistake. Many independent and moderate voters are tired of Trump (and Joe Biden, too) and are ready for fresh leadership at the top. Republican voters like Trump’s policies but not the drama and baggage.

A large field in the Republican primary serves Trump well. He’ll put his playbook from 2015 in place and watch as the competition is eliminated one by one. A political action committee (PAC) that supports Trump says opposition research is being conducted on Governor DeSantis, his strongest potential competitor.

“MAGA Inc. will champion the accomplishments of President Trump, while contrasting the failures of Joe Biden and the radical-left Democrats,” said Taylor Budowich, who oversees the PAC. “In the case of a potential primary, the RINOs and career politicians who decide to put their egos in front of what’s best for our country will be thoroughly vetted and exposed,” he added, using the acronym for Republican in Name Only.

Trump’s a street fighter and there is no doubt he’ll be ready to launch attacks against competitors. It’s important to show he is serious about the time in which we live. He has to stay focused on the contrasts between his policies and those of Biden’s, which have created crisis after crisis. Leave the big rallies for later. There is plenty of time for that. He has to do the hard work, like everyone else, and go to the first states that vote and swing states and talk about policy.