[gist]

> I remember reading in a reputable publication quoting sources that Trump is considering him as the most serious candidate.

Strategy wise there are plenty of reasons to make a candidate that you think you can beat appear to be a threat to you.

Let's take a business example.

Say you have 5 competitors. Do you want your customers comparing you to the strong competitor Or one with weaknesses that you think you can beat?

Saying he is a serious candidate makes it likely that that will get bandied about instead of someone is actually stands a better chance of winning.

(Doesn't matter if this is actually the case here I am using it to illustrate a point of how things that are said have to be taken with a grain of salt..)