I thought you made some very good points, but just to keep it absolutely simple, your leading words said everything.....
“If he perceived that a loose cannon like Trump at the top of the ticket...”
Trump can’t trust anyone with that perception. Pyrrhic victory for Ryan...it’s time.
Trump was absolutely a "loose cannon" at the top of the ticket. For some of us, that was his best attribute.
For heaven's sake -- the guy openly campaigned against several items in the national Republican Party platform!