In a YouGov poll conducted between July 25-29, 59 percent of Republicans surveyed said they would prefer a president under the age of 75. Trump celebrated his 78th birthday in June. Forty percent said they had no preference, and just two percent said they would prefer a president over the age of 75.
Or he made sure to stand strong strategically (as anyone running would do) and stepped down at a time to maximize effectiveness.
Giving an incredible amount of credit where there’s no evidence. Our politicians / politics aren’t terribly complicated. There are people who want power and they act accordingly. And there are people who want to do some good. They might be the rare case where they don’t get corrupted (Bernie). And then the rest gradually learn to live within the system and perpetuate it (possibly AOC; can’t tell for sure, but it seems more like it as time passes).
No, he was planning to run again. His debate performance was the nail in the coffin.