Sadly, since their beginnings. They've managed to hang on a long time through fraud, subterfuge, and long term planning. Fortunately, Donald Trump became a giant wrecking ball to their plans. Also, sadly, he's only one man with a too short amount of time to derail their plans and a seemingly infinite number of saboteurs embedded in the machine to slow him down. They are fighting to survive his presidency, hoping to salvage their America ending agenda. They went from the dominant force in the society they were and are, literally, hell bent on creating to the "curses, foiled again" comic and desperate world domineering megalomaniac would be despots to separate villains. Desperate despots are capable of some really bad things on their way out.
I believe it was wise as well and very much needed in today's world. Far too many have been trained to fight their way through situations that require peace, calm and rational thought.
