I think there's some truth to this, certainly, given his well-publicized difficulty paying attention. If the debates weren't enough to demonstrate this, the ghost-writer for The Art of the Deal certainly made this a centerpiece of his descriptions. I'll also say that my gut reaction throughout the campaign was that Trump wanted to be elected president, but didn't actually want to be president.

But I think we have to be careful. Deadspin is part of Gawker, which is basically the vaguely-left version of The Daily Mail or Fox. I'm skeptical of anyone that writes this gleefully about anything that doesn't involve sugar, caffeine, liquor, or small furry animals. Those of us who dislike Trump have to be careful that we don't allow our desperation and disbelief at how things are blind us to what actually is. That's in large part how Trump got elected, after all. Simply put, hope clouds observation.