They were caught with their pants down in 2016, they thought they had it all sewn up. They will not make the same mistake again. This time, every eventuality is planned for. It appears that they will let the world burn before they let go of it.
In politics, the deals are made in backrooms, then the actors play their parts and deliver the script. This is why we're watching a movie. Everything we see in public already happened in private. The only that isn't clear, is what the lag is. Are we talking months or years?