I think it’s entirely possible he wants to lose. It seems apparent to many insiders he hates the job. Rumor is that the Mooch pushed him for a 2nd term because ‘he owes it to the people who elected him firsttime.’ So he runs, a little half-hearted, and then if he loses, he retires to a place in hawaii.
IMO the primary variables are/were these:
- intellectually 0 is in over his head, has been all along. The multilayers of protection he’s enjoyed weren’t there during the “debate”
- Like most celebrities, he has been shielded and pampered by a coterie of sycophants and yes men. All the while they are telling him he’s the political equivalent of the second coming, that when he coughs it is a brilliant intellectual uttering.
- every substandard thing he has said or done has been passed off as either untrue or someone else’s fault. He’s not been held accountable for *anything*.
- all of the above has (naturally) instilled in him a huge ego and level of narcissism and hubris. Ipso facto, “I’ve never done anything less than great, I’ve never made any mistakes, everyone admires me, so it is only logical that I can and will do no wrong.”
- He though he could stroll on stage and his overwhelming victory would just happen.
Remember, this man has not had a genuine press conference since (I believe) June. He’s never seriously been grilled and forced to defend his ideas or policies. Such as they are.