Trumps original campaign was largely focused on the swamp. At the time, many voters had no real idea of what that meant. Trump himself may not have realized how all encompassing the swamp was. He probably thought that he would have more support than he did from the people around him. He couldn’t appoint anyone he wanted. He had to pick from a pool of “qualified” people. Deceptive people recommended deceptive people to fill positions. Trump accomplished an amazing amount in spite of working within a pit of vipers.
You’re right, and I would add the obvious, one man is never going to drain the swamp. He certainly didn’t get much help. If he can come back in ‘24 he’ll be much wiser. I hope he stays more focused and doesn’t fight battles he doesn’t need to fight next time.
For an outsider though he did a phenomenal job overall, four more years and he would have done an order of magnitude greater job.