Washington (CNN) Donald Trump's tax controversy and his self-destructive lack of discipline threaten to drain the Republican nominee of something he can't afford: time. With 36 days remaining before Election Day, the real estate mogul's campaign is consumed with the fallout from a New York Times story published over the weekend that found Trump reported a $916 million loss in 1995. That loss could mean Trump went 18 years without paying federal income taxes. Those findings -- which Trump's campaign isn't disputing but haven't been independently confirmed by CNN -- would be daunting for any presidential candidate to overcome. But they're especially challenging for Trump, who is losing control of the campaign's narrative after a strong September in which he narrowed the race with Hillary Clinton.Trump is losing control of the campaign's narrative after a strong SeptemberTime is dwindling for Trump to regain his grip on the campaign's message
The GOP nominee's closest surrogates launched a fierce defense of _ Sunday, portraying him as a master of business who expertly used the tax code to his benefit -- and that of his investors. And ahead of the next presidential debate on Sunday, there's no sign Trump will do something to address the lack of focus, preparation and impulse control that helped contribute to _'s win at last week's showdown. At a wild rally on Saturday night, he even questioned whether _ had been "loyal" to her husband. Such rhetoric not only calls into question Trump's strategy, it lets _ slide on some of her most significant vulnerabilities, such as her email server and questions of trust and honesty. _ in 15 minutes said two or three things and threw him off his game and he has not been able to recover since the debate."