This would be the most cleansing; also, the least likely.
The most likely, given how primaries work and how much the media is willing to cover Trump, is a primary season full of Trump being increasingly uncomfortable, speaking more and more unspeakable things which were previously hinted at in dog whistles, until he unceremoniously drops out because not even Ailes can convince the GOP to move him any closer to being nominated than they are legally obligated to.
Trump then becomes a fixture on FOX News, playing up a classic persecution fantasy and maybe even talking about being a write-in candidate, such that his narcissism gets fed regularly and he can pay down some of his debts. Or get enough leverage to amass massive new debts. Probably the second.
Trump keeps saying the things people like Romney only say when the help are secretly recording them, his base gets angrier and angrier than their golden boy is being robbed, and, in the best case, they boycott the election (or write in his name, same difference), and 2016 is a blowout for the Democrats.
November 2016 is beautiful beyond words for all of us bitter schadenfreude addicts who read The Free Republic.
Hey, I can dream, can’t I?