Maggie's Farm

Cancelling the delegate part of the convention on his terms takes a weapon away from the snarkers who would do it by nefarious means, which have already been rolled out (this is why it was moved to Jacksonville).

Trump realizes he is criticized bitterly and mostly unfairly for any decision that he takes. So he stays on the one path that will keep him out of trouble - doing what he thinks is the right thing, and saying so, and why.

The people who are still capable of normal thinking will see it this way. The people who are still capable of thinking also note that he is owning his responsibilities - and that he has mostly turned out to be right whenever his detractors were busy calling him crazy. Spying on his campaign; Closing international travel for COVID; China as a bigger threat than Russia.

There should be no doubt that cancelling the convention will remove his opportunity to speak the delegates and the nation, review his successes, outline his platform, and improve his standing in the polls. And that having done this, will make it more difficult to justify rallies, too. Trump must be confident with his private polling.