Up until Mr. Trump became the nominee for the Republican Party, the media focused only on the bright and shiny aspect of his candidacy. From the time he sealed the deal on the nomination of the party, up until, just about, the first presidential debate between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, he had reached the pinnacle of his popularity. The night of the first debate, Mr. Trump had essentially pulled even in the polls. This period of time could be called, “Against all odds.”

Mr. Trump was bombastic. Spoke in any manner on any matter. Put down people, races, and countries with a large stroke of the brush. He accepted praise from fringe groups who were, in accord with their own agenda, seeking legitimization from the establishment. He ignored facts and peppered networks across the country with call-ins, and created and then galvanized a base, his base, so much so that this large percentage of Americans may be rejecting the Republican establishment for their dismissal or lack of support for the Orange One.

All the while, throughout the building of this house of tinder, the storyline of “Against all odds” prevailed.

This story made Democrats, liberals, and progressives, and a majority of mainstream media incredulous. “How can he possibly get away with what he said? And he’s beating Chris Christie and Jeb! How is that even possible?” How has the establishment legitimized his candidacy? He had risen among the depleted ranks of smarmy neocons and “family values” candidates by doing whatever he wanted to do, so long as he dominated the news. Mr. Trump was built up, on one hand, by himself, and on the other, by the media’s incessant urge to show off its shiny new object. A house built, against all odds.

For Republicans, right wing media outlets, Independents who hate Mrs. Clinton, party-line Evangelical voters, and those on the fringes of the right, Mr. Trump had stood in front of the establishment and won the nomination, against all odds. Here was a businessman, never before in politics, private sector, savvy, rich, and best of all, unpolished. “He’s telling it like it is. I mean, no, I don’t exactly think like that, but, yes, immigration is a problem.” “He’s great, because he’s a big fuck you to the establishment. They’re all crooks –– crooked, terrible, liars. We need somebody to go in there and shake things up.” The government isn’t working. The economy is worse. The policies are terrible. Washington, as usual, has failed. Since the establishment is untrustworthy, we should support Mr. Trump.

With each of his successes up until the first presidential debate, Mr. Trump was doing it, against all odds. In this story, Mr. Trump was legitimized and validated by the noise machine, which, in turn, galvanized his base, which outraged supporters of the opposition, which further fortified the base, which then made rank and file Republicans and conservative media get in line. Everybody got in line. Mr. Trump had gathered enough support that the establishment had a tough choice to make, go against the party or go against the powers of your own mind. The mind went with a whimper. Even Ted Cruz, like a good little Munster, got in line with what the family wanted.

And going into the first presidential debate, the house had been built. The walls were up, quite high, actually, ten, twelve, twenty stories. The roof was shingled. There were doors and windows, and a few kids from a few different marriages, and a third wife, and bunch of horrific, bigoted, and misogynistic things coming out of the speaker system inside that house, but none of that what was said or implied mattered. The voters, and the politicians, and the media had built the house.

The foundation of the house, however, was weak.

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