Even if the guy isn’t a theocrat, he’ll have to make a deal with them if he wants power. He certainly isn’t going to tell any theocrats to take a hike.

I’ve made similar comparisons in the past. George H Bush in 1988 was a shadow of the man he was in 1980. John McCain, same 2008 vs 2000. George W Bush was never really his own man and just sold right out at the beginning.