I agree.
You have it right.
Which leads me to another question and conclusion. From my POV it does not appear Trump has any chance whatsoever to be POTUS come January.
So, why go through all of this?
1. Service. The nation needs a cleansing that comes with sunlight.
2. Vengeance. Trump was never considered a legitimate POTUS by any media or any Democrat. He wants to give it back.
Both of them.
I agree with you that Trump’s chances are slim. CNN says that Trump has privately confirmed your second reason for him to wage this fight — payback. I don’t regard CNN as infallible (ha!) but this particular report has the ring of truth. No one could blame Trump for wanting revenge for the way he was treated.
In the long run, your first reason, cleansing through sunlight, may be the more important. Many Americans’ votes are “counted” on electronic machines where no meaningful recount is possible. Hackers have shown that the software can be altered to manipulate the totals. When that happens, a recount merely repeats the original phony result.
Democrats were complaining about this after Kerry lost. This year, GOP lawyers have cited a letter that several Dem Senators wrote last year. Maybe there will now be a bipartisan consensus for fair elections, because each party will worry about getting screwed by the other one.