There is speculation in the NYT and Vox that Trump’s ultimate objective is not to become President, but to be a right-wing media star, based on his recent campaign hires. Does this make sense?
Actually, yes. While Trump’s reputation as an international businessman will be in ashes at the end of the campaign, his bona fides as a pugnacious nationalist celebrity will be beyond question, and there is clearly is a substantial market for his opinions. He could establish a new TV network with a fairly minimal investment, hire a few paranoid right-wing talk show hosts, and race Fox News to the bottom. The rest of the programming could be occasional commentary from the great man himself (presumably thundering about the GOP making compromises with Clinton to keep the government running) and infomercials for Trump steaks, et. al.
In other words, he could set himself up for the foreseeable future as Father Coughlin for the 21st Century and make money doing it. It would be a lot more fun than being President. If you’re Rupert Murdoch, Paul Ryan, or Mitch McConnell, and you’re trying to make the GOP look sane and respectable in the eyes of the general public after the debacle of 2016, it’s just about your worst nightmare.