Look, he embraced the establishment as you put it – maybe as you would have done too – because he needed to rapidly fill hundreds of top level positions in his new administration. He wasn’t a DC insider, he had no way of knowing who the good hires were. And without enough connections in Washington to put together a working administration, he had to rely on the few RNC people willing to work with him to screen and hire top people.
You go ahead and try it. You’ve just been elected President of the United States. Now...immediately fill thousands of positions. Let’s see what your success rate at hiring quality employees would be.
Total fail.
He isn't a political outsider - Many of these are his friends.
He wasn't alone. He had a political machine built way ahead of time.
Part of that machine is a research arm, weighing potential.
After the win, that research branch would immediately begin vetting hires, with nearly 90 days to do it (during transition), if it wasn't already done ahead of time, as the candidate was looking like a win for some months.
Only an idiot would walk into the most powerful position in the world empty handed...
But if that's the way you see it...