I realized early into the Primaries he was the only one who would be able to stand up to Hillary and not be the typical "Aw Shucks, I ain't Racist or Sexist.... please don't call me that!" Republicans that emerge whenever the Media starts smearing them.
It was clear in 2016 it was going to be a Dirty Fight and he was the only one strong enough to face it.
He's not wrong. One of their biggest weaknesses they don't even see is that none of the Democrats are being Immunized against anything.
One of the untold Strengths in Trumps General Election Campaign was the fact that he was brutalized in the Primary. They went after him with everything, and when he survived it. They had so little to attack him with, and what little they could muster up barely changed anyone's mind on Trump.
With these candidates. They're spending more time trying to pander to the base and bash Trump instead of going after each other and using attacks that you KNOW Trump is certainly ready to use.
Hopefully "Blowing Away Expectations" is meant in a GOOD way.