“No chance,” “no way,” “never.”

Yet, here we are: Donald J. Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Maybe it’s not fair to call out the knowing skepticism of the political thinkers who once declared Mr. Trump’s nomination an impossibility. Many people thought he was a long-shot (not everyone, though). Democrats were quick to mock when he declared his entry into the race on June 16. News organizations struggled with how to cover him.

Here’s a quick look at how unthinkable it all seemed before voting began.

“There is no way voters in the country will nominate him”

Senator Rand Paul spoke with certainty about that in August.

During an interview on NBC News, Mr. Paul, who was still in the race, attributed Mr. Trump’s strength in the polls to the “free advertising” of media coverage.