IMO his training and business instincts led him while in the WH to hire based primarily on the applicant's resume and the advise of trusted individuals. We can surmise the latter often were naïve or subscribed to a different agenda.
But his reluctance to remove people compounded his problems IMO.
Deceit and betrayal in the commercial world that framed Trump's experience is generally horizontal whereas can be of equal parts vertical in the Swamp's political world. It was reported he was restrained by trusted individuals in his own political party who warned of the great likelihood of removal from office were he to fire as he thought necessary. I.e., he spent 4 years essentially walking on a knife edge.
I think it likely we will see a robust counter-punch, albeit in the making one in slow-motion, even if he does not contend for a future presidency.
I hate to sound critical of Trump or fault him for anything. Coming in as a despised outsider he faced impossible odds and yet was still able to accomplish amazing feats. Very few people could ever dream of doing what he did under the circumstances. He was a great president. But he was not infallible.
Like with all projects and business ventures, we do need to analyze his presidency and capture some of the lessons learned so they can hopefully be applied in the future. As they say, those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
So it is in that spirit that I try to point out a few constructive observations. Hopefully most people will see it that way.