that is what parties do ... it’s almost like they’re forcing Trump to run as an independent ...
It’s not about Trump.
It’s about protecting the franchise. Political debate in the US is only allowed to be about things that cause Americans to be furious with each other (instead of the people in charge), while all important issues THAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STATE are off the table, either because the leaders of both parties agree (usually) or because it would be “divisive” (division is the purpose of politics, so what we have is actually something else).
Notice, for example, the fact that most Republican voters want the Southern border closed and for the Russians and Ukrainians to slug it out without bothering us. Isn’t it odd that NO CANDIDATE is not 100% opposed to the Republican voters he supposedly needs?