Trump is gearing up for a 2024 run. Hard to express how disastrous this will be for the GOP. All I can think of is Ken Livingstone in 2012. 
Ken Livingstone became Mayor of London in 2000 as a maverick fighting the Labour Party establishment, until they eventually adopted him as the Labour candidate in 2004.
Ken wasn't a *bad* mayor by most measures, but he appointed a lot of cronies to well-paid jobs, he sucked up to Islamists and kept picking needless fights with racist undertones against Jewish Londoners.
In 2008, Boris Johnson challenged Ken for the Mayoralty. By now, Ken was unpopular, polling worse than the Labour Party he represented. Boris won. Ken lost.
...but, Ken didn't go away. He made it very clear he was interested in running for mayor again when the job was up for election in 2012.
Ken was Labour royalty, despite coming from the Hard Left of the party. He faced a challenge for the nomination from former Labour MP Oona King, but won it handily.
Since the previous mayoral election, David Cameron had become Prime Minister. The Tory/Lib Dem coalition was in power, and by 2012 Labour was doing OK in the polls, especially in London. The mayoralty was winnable.
It was winnable... by almost any other Labour candidate. The public was done with Ken Livingstone. No second acts. Boris Johnson won re-election with just a 3% lead after transfers.
Now obviously, Trump's supporters are WAY more fanatical than Ken Livingstone's, and his base is a lot broader. But on the other hand, Ken wasn't a bad administrator. He lost on his character alone.
Trump, though, is TERRIBLE at the job of being President as well as having a terrible character. I think that will make it harder to climb back once the Government is being run competently again.
Trump freezing the field, cutting all room for manoeuvre out of GOP elected officials, and generally sucking up all the Opposition oxygen... none of these are good for the GOP. Not for four years.
If he wants the nomination, it's his. But he'll lose. And he'll lose worse next time.
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