Krugman writes, and I agree, that Donald Trump scares the Republican establishment precisely because he's too honest:
Conservative religiosity, conservative faith in markets, were never about living a godly life or letting the invisible hand promote entrepreneurship. Instead, it was all as Corey Robin describes it: Conservatism is
a reactionary movement, a defense of power and privilege against democratic challenges from below, particularly in the private spheres of the family and the workplace.
The point is that Trump isn’t a diversion, he’s a revelation, bringing the real motivations of the movement out into the open.
He's our Putin, but without the subtlety.