It could make sense when compared to Brexit. The brexit referendum was supposed to be a 4D chess move from less insane Tories to shut down the new populist party and more radical conservatives. Instead we got shady meddling, “leave” won and they were actually forced to do it and shoot their both feet with a cannon.
Maybe the established powers in the US wanted to use Trump to channel extremism into him and have him lose to get rid of the sentiments. Instead some shady meddling happened etc.