As the White House seems increasingly out of reach for him, Donald Trump increasingly appears to be setting himself up for a loss by suggesting that it won't actually be a loss at all.

Here's how:

1) He's arguing Hillary Clinton cheated in the debate. (How, exactly? We have no idea.)

2) He's rejecting polls as inaccurate. Specifically the ones that show Clinton winning. The ones that show him up are a-okay. This is a multipronged approach to make a the race seem closer than it is; The Fix's Philip Bump goes into more detail about this strategy.

3) He's walking out on interviews. Or not giving them at all. Trump walked out of two interviews with two Ohio TV stations on Thursday when asked about the latest groping allegations against him and the belief held by a majority of Americans (and strongly held by a majority of women) that he is biased against minorities and women.

(Philip Bump / The Washington Post)

And the former TV star isn't really a presence on TV at all lately, writes The Fix's Callum Borchers. He mostly chats with friendly Fox News and has appeared on CNN just once since June.

4) He's casting doubt on the election itself . . . by suggesting voter fraud is widespread. (It's not.) Republicans have long warned of voter fraud and used it as a rationale for passing measures that make it more difficult for many legal voters to cast ballots as well. Trump has taken that argument to the next logical conclusion: That the presidential election itself may be rigged. There is zero evidence it is. Likely because it would basically be impossible to do that, even if someone wanted to.

In the meantime, he's making fun of himself. Or trying to. Technically, both candidates made fun of themselves at an uppity Catholic charities foundation dinner Thursday night in New York, a traditionally lighthearted, backslapping stop on the presidential campaign trail.

But some of Trump's jokes did not go over well. Perhaps that's because he came across as . . . kinda mean, in a sad sort of way. The Post's Jenna Johnson reported back that his speech "might as well have been a eulogy for his presidential campaign."

Johnson: "Campaigning used to be fun for Trump. He used to bound onto rally stages bursting with energy and a bright-eyed sense of excitement that intensified as the crowd chanted his name and cheered his every word. … But as Trump became his party's presumptive nominee this spring and then its nominee this summer, he suddenly had a lot to lose. His exuberance on the campaign trail faded, although it would occasionally reappear when he addressed a particularly rowdy rally or had a particularly good week. "

Why Trump's bad night means we can expect a nasty 18 days. (Okay — a nastier 18 days.)

Donald Trump at Thursday's charity roast event thing. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

By most accounts, Trump bombed at that New York charity roast event fundraiser thing Thursday. Well, okay, you're probably saying. Who cares?

Trump does, writes Fix Boss Chris Cillizza. The Al Smith dinner was filled with the kind of inside group Trump has always looked in on and never really felt he's been a part of. That they were laughing at him, not with him — when they weren't booing him — will likely help fuel Trump's flame-throwing campaign style.