This is probably going to be a (very) unpopular post.

[Metaphorical]

101. The two are not exclusive

I have dealt with relatives with Alzheimer's. As the disease progresses, even before they get to the stage where they no longer recognize others, there is a period where they become nasty, hateful, vile and vindictive, and sociopathic. Trump has long (perhaps not always, but likely through much of his life) been a malignant narcissist, and I think his first term in office was intended to ultimately seize power, but he was still hamstrung by incompetence at first, then by a Congress that did manage to thwart those goals. He waited too long, assumed that the takeover would be easier than he thought.

I think his intent was originally to find a way to keep from being prosecuted for his swindles. Once in office, however, once he realized how much power he had, the idea of actually taking control of the entire country took hold, especially after he realized that so long as the Democrats were in power in any part of Congress he'd be blocked. I think he spent the next four years looking at ways he could game the system (yes, I think the election was rigged), and he tapped specific people for the purpose of tearing down the existing political establishment.

The dementia is real, and if anything it, has leant urgency to his actions. He may even be dying, but if he is, he's going to bring the whole world down with him. This is not atypical thinking for people with mid-stage dementia.