Washington (CNN) Donald Trump got a morale boost this week -- but it likely won't be enough to propel him to the White House.

After weeks of devastating headlines, the Republican nominee seemed to give himself a break. He largely avoided incessant talk about allegations of sexual assault by multiple women and claims that the election is rigged -- both of which made wavering Republicans nervous.

The drumbeat of WikiLeaks disclosures yielded material to lambast Hillary Clinton and her family's foundation. And news of rising Obamacare premiums gave him an opening to criticize President Barack Obama's legacy that Clinton is running to inherit.

Trump edged up in some state surveys and CNN moved two crucial states -- Florida and Nevada -- from lean Democratic to battleground status on its electoral map.

But 11 days before the election, Trump is down six points in CNN's Poll of Polls. His path to the 270 electoral votes needed to capture the presidency remains daunting and it will be tough to overcome the deficit in the remaining time. Trump seemed to acknowledge the challenges Thursday.

Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voted in Chappaqua, New York, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. Afterward, she and her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, visited with locals outside the voting area. Hide Caption 1 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump casts his vote in New York on Election Day. Hide Caption 2 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton addresses a midnight rally at North Carolina State University in Raleigh early on November 8. Both Clinton and Trump barnstormed across battleground states in a frenetic, last-minute push for votes. Hide Caption 3 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton greets Lady Gaga backstage after the campaign event in Raleigh on November 8. The singer urged the crowd to make history and elect the first woman president. Hide Caption 4 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton held a rally in Philadelphia the night before Election Day. Hide Caption 5 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton's rally in Philadelphia included appearances from President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. Hide Caption 6 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign The Clintons share a moment backstage. Hide Caption 7 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump's family -- as well as Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence -- join the candidate for a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, November 7. Hide Caption 8 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump visited Raleigh on November 7. Hide Caption 9 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump makes an appeal to voters in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 7. Hide Caption 10 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump joins former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the Scranton rally on November 7. Hide Caption 11 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton takes the stage during a rally at the University of Pittsburgh on November 7. Hide Caption 12 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump's rally in Manchester was one of five stops the candidate made November 7, the last full day of campaigning. Hide Caption 13 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton's image is reflected in a teleprompter as she greets supporters after a rally in Pittsburgh on November 7. Hide Caption 14 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump checks out a rubber mask of himself during a campaign rally in Sarasota, Florida, on November 7. Hide Caption 15 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump's face is obscured by a teleprompter as he holds his campaign rally in Raleigh on November 7. Hide Caption 16 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign President Obama arrives to speak at a Clinton rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on November 7. Hide Caption 17 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Preparations continue November 7 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, where Clinton will hold an election night event. Hide Caption 18 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Minneapolis on Sunday, November 6. Hide Caption 19 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump supporters take photos in Minneapolis on November 6. Hide Caption 20 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump addresses supporters in Minneapolis on November 6. Hide Caption 21 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton and NBA basketball player LeBron James wave to a crowd in Cleveland on November 6. Hide Caption 22 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton supporters hold signs in Cleveland on November 6. Hide Caption 23 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton boards her campaign plane in Cleveland on November 6. Hide Caption 24 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign A crowd lines up for a rally supporting Trump in Sioux City, Iowa, on November 6. Hide Caption 25 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton shakes hands with supporters during a rainstorm in Miami on Saturday, November 5. Hide Caption 26 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton supporters wait outside an early voting center in the predominantly Cuban-American neighborhood of West Miami, Florida, on November 5. Hide Caption 27 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump and his wife, Melania, arrive at an airport rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on November 5. Hide Caption 28 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign People climbed a wall to get a better view of Trump in Wilmington. Hide Caption 29 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump attends a rally in Denver on November 5. Hide Caption 30 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Singer Katy Perry shows off a coat reading "I'm With Madam President" during a Clinton event in Philadelphia on November 5. Hide Caption 31 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Police guard a men's room where a protester was being held after he disrupted a Trump rally in Reno, Nevada, on November 5. Hide Caption 32 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Police officers and Secret Service agents take a man away in handcuffs after the Reno disruption. Hide Caption 33 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Members of the Secret Service rush Trump off the stage in Reno. Hide Caption 34 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Children wait for the start of a Clinton rally in Detroit on Friday, November 4. Hide Caption 35 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Supporters listen to Clinton in Detroit on November 4. Hide Caption 36 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton speaks at the rally in Detroit on November 4. Hide Caption 37 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton joins Beyonce and Jay Z on stage during a free concert in Cleveland on November 4. Hide Caption 38 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump rallies supporters in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on November 4. Hide Caption 39 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway waits backstage at a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, on November 4. Hide Caption 40 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Ground crews await Trump's arrival for a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, on November 4. Hide Caption 41 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton, seen in a reflection, applauds as her former primary rival, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, campaigns for her in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday, November 3. Hide Caption 42 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump holds a rally in Selma, North Carolina, on November 3. Hide Caption 43 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump speaks in Jacksonville, Florida, on November 3. Hide Caption 44 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign A young girl attends a Clinton rally in Las Vegas on Wednesday, November 2. Hide Caption 45 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump addresses supporters in Pensacola, Florida, on November 2. Hide Caption 46 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump gestures in Pensacola on November 2. Hide Caption 47 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign People attend a Clinton rally in Phoenix on November 2. Hide Caption 48 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton smiles as she greets supporters in Phoenix on November 2. Hide Caption 49 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton waves in Phoenix on November 2. Hide Caption 50 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton greets customers at a barbershop in North Las Vegas on November 2. Hide Caption 51 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump appears at a rally in Orlando on November 2. Hide Caption 52 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign A banner flies overhead at a Trump rally in Orlando on November 2. Hide Caption 53 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton, right, and aide Huma Abedin stand aboard Clinton's campaign plane as they head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a campaign rally on Friday, October 28. News broke during the flight that the FBI was reviewing new emails related to Clinton's personal server, bringing an issue they had assumed was behind them back into the campaign. The emails being examined were part of an investigation into former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, Abedin's estranged husband, who is accused of sexting with a girl who was purportedly underage. On November 6, FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers that after reviewing the new emails, the agency stood by its opinion that Clinton should not face criminal charges. Hide Caption 54 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton addresses the media in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 28. She issued a statement about the latest FBI disclosure. "We are 11 days out from perhaps the most important national election of our lifetimes," she said. "Voting is already underway in our country. So the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately." Hide Caption 55 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton speaks at her news conference on October 28. Hide Caption 56 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids on October 28. Hide Caption 57 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump supporters attend a rally in Cedar Rapids on October 28. Hide Caption 58 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Lisbon, Maine, on October 28. Hide Caption 59 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton speaks in Cedar Rapids on October 28. Hide Caption 60 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump smiles at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, on October 28. Hide Caption 61 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton attends a homecoming pep rally at North Carolina A&T State University on Thursday, October 27. Hide Caption 62 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign First lady Michelle Obama hugs Clinton at a rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on October 27. Hide Caption 63 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign A Clinton supporter takes a selfie at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem on October 27. Hide Caption 64 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump gears up for a campaign rally at an airport in Sanford, Florida, on Tuesday, October 25. Hide Caption 65 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump supporters cheer while waiting for the candidate's arrival in Sanford on October 25. Hide Caption 66 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton attends a rally in Coconut Creek, Florida, on October 25. Hide Caption 67 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign A shadow of Clinton's campaign plane is seen as the candidate prepares to land in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, October 24. Hide Caption 68 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton, center, claps for US Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a rally in Manchester on October 24. Hide Caption 69 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton greets the crowd after the final presidential debate of the 2016 campaign. Hide Caption 70 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump with his family following the debate. Hide Caption 71 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton and Trump at the end of the debate. Hide Caption 72 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton and Trump battled on several issues during the debate. Hide Caption 73 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump greets supporters at a rally in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Tuesday, October 18. Hide Caption 74 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump holds a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Monday, October 17. Hide Caption 75 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke rails against the electoral system at the Trump rally in Green Bay. Clarke told the crowd, "It is pitchfork and torches time in America." Hide Caption 76 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Trump speaks to supporters in Green Bay. Hide Caption 77 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton waves as she boards her campaign plane in Seattle on Friday, October 14. Hide Caption 78 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign The view from Clinton's campaign plane on October 14. Hide Caption 79 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton headlines a fundraiser in Seattle on October 14. Hide Caption 80 of 81 Photos: Final days of the 2016 campaign Clinton's campaign staff takes questions from the media on her plane in Seattle on October 14. Hide Caption 81 of 81

"Just thinking to myself right now, we should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump," he quipped during a rally in Toledo, Ohio.

Also telling: Trump donated just $31,000 to his campaign in early October despite promises to give up to $100 million to his campaign, according to a fundraising report filed Thursday. He has only donated $56 million to his race as of October 20.

With the new changes, CNN's electoral college map leaves Clinton with 272 electoral votes from states either solidly or leaning in her direction. Trump has 179 electoral votes from states either solidly or leaning in his direction. That leaves 87 electoral votes up for grabs at the moment. Trump will have to pitch a perfect game to secure the ones he needs, especially as he struggles to pull states such as Virginia, Pennsylvania or Michigan out of Clinton's column.

'Fighting chance'

"To have a fighting chance in this election of getting to 270 electoral votes, he has to win North Carolina, Ohio and Florida. If he does win all three that still gives him only 253 electoral votes," said Ford O'Connell, a GOP strategist. "The biggest problem for the Trump campaign is overall, where are you going to get 270? He basically almost has to run an inside straight and almost has to have them all fall into his hands."

Trump and his aides insist he has a path and momentum, citing huge crowds, long lines for early voting and the few polls in his favor. A Fox News poll Wednesday put the national gap to Clinton at only three points and a Bloomberg Politics survey in Florida said he was two points up.

"I think we're going to have a tremendous victory," Trump told CNN's Dana Bash Wednesday. "If I didn't think it, I wouldn't say it."

Trump's schedule shows that he knows the stakes.

He spent several days in Florida earlier this week, was in North Carolina on Wednesday and spent Thursday in Ohio. Without that trio, Trump has no platform to mount what even then would be a long shot bid for the White House.

Clinton is of the same mind. She was in Florida Wednesday and plans to go back Saturday. She campaigned in North Carolina with first lady Michelle Obama on Thursday. Clinton could effectively stop Trump in his tracks if she can win either state -- barring a huge and unpredictable upset elsewhere.

If Trump does win North Carolina, Ohio and Florida, he can trace the narrowest of routes to 270 electoral votes by winning New Hampshire, a congressional district in Maine, Iowa and Nevada. But Clinton is leading or in a tight race in those states. Trump also cannot afford to drop any red state, and is already fighting rearguard actions in Arizona and Utah, and some Democrats believe that Georgia could be competitive.

Again, Trump's travel is instructive -- he is campaigning in Maine, New Hampshire and Iowa on Friday.

Some Democrats worry Clinton's biggest risk is that her voters think she has the presidency in the bag and will fail to show up to vote.

'No complacency'

"No complacency here," Clinton said Wednesday at a rally in Tampa, Florida. "Donald Trump says he can still win and he is right. That is why it is so important everyone gets out and votes."

Clinton's advisers also warn that the race will probably narrow in the days to come.

"Quite likely we are in store for one final round of tightening," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon tweeted Wednesday.

In essence, Trump's hopes rely on a huge turnout of his base voters, who are largely white and working class. He also needs significantly depressed enthusiasm among Clinton voters and a poll-defying shock on the scale of Brexit, the surprise British vote this year to quit the European Union.

Trump has repeatedly said the polls are wrong. And it's true that some pre-election polls underplayed the size of Obama's re-election victory in 2012 and the Democratic mid-term election debacle two years later.

But if he goes into Election Day with his current deficit, Trump would require a massive polling miss outside the margin of error in multiple states.

The Republican nominee's own strategy makes his task even more difficult.

Since he has likely alienated minority and educated women with his rhetoric and behavior, Trump must pull in vast numbers of new white voters — some who may have voted for Democrats in the past -- to make up for the shortfall.

But the Fox News poll, like some other recent surveys, suggested Trump is underperforming 2012 nominee Mitt Romney among this core constituency. Romney won white voters by 20 points over Obama according to exit polls, but Trump is only 14 points ahead of Clinton in the poll with the same voting group.

Trump's problems with educated white female voters have been well documented.

If those numbers hold, it means that the GOP nominee must reverse trends in which white voters have become a smaller share of the electorate in recent elections.

"There are just not enough white men in these battleground states for him to win this election," said Tharon Johnson, who ran Obama's southern states strategy in his 2012 re-election bid.

Still, Bloomberg's poll of Florida does suggest Trump has some traction in the state he regards as a second home — even though most other recent surveys have given Clinton a lead of a few points. Some close observers of Sunshine State politics do believe his intense campaigning is having an impact.

"I think it has moved some polls. He has been very strategic about going into some of the media markets where there are a lot of suburban voters," said Professor Susan MacManus of the University of South Florida, who does not rule out a late Trump surge. "Never say never in our state. On paper, it should be Hillary's to lose. But it's not an on paper election. She has soft spots in her base, so does Trump."