Donald Trump Does Not Want to be President

Donald Trump does not want to be president. He has no interest in the job — but he does have significant interest in running for the job.

For Trump, there was little risk in running. If he lost in the primary, he would have made a straw-man argument about how “the media” or “the establishment” screwed him. In other words, he would not have lost; the rigged system would have stolen something from him. He would go back to his gold-everything life — but with a never-ending boogeyman argument that captured the animating spirit of a loud, angry group of people.

Astonishingly, Trump destroyed his supposedly strong primary opponents. I bet he was shocked by their collective weakness. They faded so quickly he did not have time to develop an oh-shit-strategy.

At this point, Trump needs an out, and for many months he’s been looking for one — McCain. Megyn Kelly. Cruz’s wife and Cruz’s father. Paul Ryan. Putin. Low Energy Jeb, Lyin’ Ted, Little Marco. The Mexicans. The disabled reporter. The Khans. The lies. The racism. The nativism. The conspiracy theories.

His scorched earth campaign is looking for a way to get out of this campaign before election day. So far, his often-attempted political suicide has not worked.

Trump likes campaigning because of the showmanship: in his case, railing against the system and whipping up rage. He’s the political P.T. Barnum.

Before election day, but after a major event of his making, Trump will drop out of the race.

Once free from the pettiness of running for president, Trump will start a media company.

It will be a simple, profitable enterprise — 20 million of his most defiant supporters will pay $5 a month for access to The Donald. For $100 million a month, Donald Trump will spew venom about “the rigged system” and “weak American leaders” from his famous office. It will be rapid fire Twitter, video, and audio.

And, just like his campaign, it will be exhausting.