President Trump’s belligerent debate performance in Cleveland seemed a self-defeating flop. But I’ve heard some people wonder whether his 90 minutes of interruptions effectively stoked the fighting spirit of his base, however unattractive it seemed to us scribblers. Well, perhaps.

As the Washington Examiner editorialized immediately after the debate, it was also surely an opportunity missed by an incumbent who needs to change the course of a campaign he is currently losing. By creating such confusion and cross-talk, rendering much of the evening incomprehensible, Trump concealed Joe Biden’s biggest weakness. His challenger could rarely get a word in edgewise and so was spared the embarrassment of stumbling incoherence and running out of things to say on national TV.