Had he stayed out of politics, he would have been remembered as a pop culture icon who could, at times, not take himself too seriously and have fans from all walks of life in America, on both sides of the aisle.

When he (finally successfully) dove into politics, the people that formed his base were a mixed bag of wealth/celebrity worshippers, people that thought (mistakenly) that he would be different because he came from "outside the system," and people that thought a blonde "haired" blue eyed man would be a good figurehead for the America they envisioned.

I too have known about Trump for a long time. I remember his stance on the central park 5 incident. I remember his generalizations of immigrants coming up from south of the border. And while I don't personally think Trump is a nazi, it's pretty clear that the real nazis in America love Trump. And his rhetoric over time has been informed by his base. It's become a feedback loop.

Now, as far as taking down "pedo rings" is concerned, assuming you're referring to Epstein and only Epstein, I'm of the opinion that this was Trump and Barr acting out of self interest and self preservation. I have no doubt that Epstein could have named them both and that it's just as likely Trump and Barr are behind Epstein's untimely exit as the Clinton's are. IF, and this is a big if, Epstein is even really dead. Which I'm not sure he is.