I really don't think tsf ever wanted the presidency or thought he had a chance. So why had he gone to such extremes?

[captain queeg]

I can see why he is running now. He discovered he loved the power and the way everyone fawned over and sucked up to him. He wants to save his own ass and get revenge on everyone who has ever crossed him. But why did he go to such extremes in the 2016 campaign?

[unblock]

1. Putin told him to

Might have made an offer he couldn't refuse.

Then again, the thrill of being in the national spotlight even just as a candidate had to appeal to him....

[H2O Man]

2. To avoid the

federal convictions.

[arthritisR_US]

10. What federal convictions were there in 2016?

[H2O Man]

12. Okay.

My error.

I don't think he ran in 2015 thinking he would win. It was reported that he had discussed it with Bill Clinton, while playing golf. I suspect that Clinton thought the defendant would dosome damage to the favored republican in the upcoming primaries, Jeb Bush. By early spring in 2016, it was evident that the defendant would win the republican nomination.

He then appears to have become more serious, though at the time, his ultimate goal was to have access to build in Moscow. At the same time, of course, he always wants to "win" -- to the extent he is on record as claiming his father & his loss on rental violations as a victory -- and he resented the insults from Democrats, including Ms. Clinton.

[Deuxcents]

3. My thoughts are he was mocked by Obama at a White House Correspondents dinner

And it humiliated him and his ego had to be avenged. A Black President, of all people, would not let him get away with his game and called him out. Why he was even at that dinner is a question but he was everywhere trying to be noticed and again, a big egotistical man needed to be seen. The rest is a horror story for the country and now he wants another shot at it as his retribution isn’t finished.

[arthritisR_US]

11. I think you have a very valid point

[Silent Type]

4. I'm convinced he got into 2016 primary for publicity only. Then, he took off with racist border

theme and he found himself the nominee. He did not expect to win general election and was not even prepared for victory speech.

Election night, was probably most depressing of my life. Everything went against Clinton in weeks before, including enough votes from “Democrats” who decided to protest the primaries.

[usonian]

5. What did he do then that's different now? Same old shit.

Then, he had a massive voter suppression effort (Remember Cambridge Analytica and Facebook?) and lots of foreign interference doing the dirty work.

Who hated Hillary Clinton the most? Putin, of course.

That's why the Mueller Report was squashed by Barr. Putin pulled the strings.

It worked for his ego, and he did their bidding.

A perfect match made in hell.

EVERYTHING he and the GOP have said and done are directly supporting Putin.

The puppet-master found the "perfect" dummy.

Just as he convinces a cult full of losers that they are winners, Vlad is playing him, and will kick him to the curb IF and when the time is right.

But that "right time" scenario is one we are fighting, so we are kind of stuck with him until he's stuck with a "Trump Stake".



There's a reason he doesn't get mushrooms on his burgers.
Several, actually.

[CANADIANBEAVER69]

6. He was as surprised as the rest of us with those deer in the headlight

look he and his family had walking on stage. Let's face it, he really didn't win. He is lazy and didn't do what a real President would do as his daily duties. He is only interested in being adored. PERIOD. Kiss my ring mentality. The job was just a grift and he used the national secrets to make money and try to gain a new level of influence in a world ( or club as per George Carlin) that he needed the Office to boost himself into.

[Texasgal]

7. Personally, I believe it's all about power

I think he truly believes that he is above the law. He was/is a rich man and people and in these types of situations many times believe that have some sort of status that many "regular" folk don't have.

Power and control. Just like a rapist... that's the common theme.

[UTUSN]

8. He'd been fishing for it for decades, like expecting the max next level thinking *deserved* and

wanting sycophants to egg him on - a bluff. And yes I think the jokes were the tipping point to do it. And yes the word was he didn't think he would win, so just the lifetime of risktaking and impulsiveness for the rush. And he's put out there the question of how he could be living comfortably in the south of France without the hassle, so why indeed. Now it's how to get himself pardoned, by self or other or by plea bargain.

[Crunchy Frog]

9. I think he just really hates to lose.

Not that he really liked being president, but he was extremely determined not to lose it to someone else, and now he's in a grudge match to get it back.

I honestly think he'd be much happier if he could just have a totally debilitating stroke that would make it a non-issue for him.

[Silent3]

13. He was probably surprised to get as far as he did in the Republican primaries, but once that happened...

...he got hooked on the idea of winning all the way.

Losing as the one and only nominee of the Republican party would have hurt Trump's ego much more, I think, than losing early on in the primaries. That doesn't attract as much attention, or recrimination, as losing in the general does.

I'm guessing before actually winning the Presidency appeared possible to Trump, he was just angling for a bit of the spotlight, doing some self-promotion, and hoping to find a new way to scam people out of their money.

[betsuni]

14. Sorry, what extremes did he go to in 2016?

Do you mean not dropping out at some point?