The stunning reason Donald Trump thinks he's going to win

[Metaphorical]

30. This is all by design

I do not subscribe to the notion that Trump is a drooling idiot, though I do think he's showing signs of dementia. However, he also recognizes at this point that there is no benefit for him to be anything but perfectly clear in his intentions: he plans to become emperor, doesn't give a fig about democratic processes, and he is actively subverting the electoral system in the US.

There are all too many people in the US who don't care about the fact that we live in a democracy, and indeed see that as a weakness of the system that can only be rectified by an authoritarian leader. So long as they are allowed to make money off the exploitation of others, they don't care. Why should they? Most have never seen what a true authoritarian society looks like, and those that have usually related much more to the privileged than those who aren't. This is what the GOP is counting on. They know that they cannot win on policy, which is why they are instead relying upon culture war issues and the overt appeal to a "strongman" to motivate their base to take over by force what they can't win at the ballot box.

Trump knows he's going to lose. He's just hoping to be close enough to throw the outcome into doubt, then plans on doing everything he can to carve off as much power in the aftermath as he can manage.