I think populism is a big factor in it, as is also the case in the UK.
Trump’s shrewdness was in identifying large swathes of the electorate in poor areas where industries had declined and unemployment was high. He tuned into the increasing sense of dislocation they felt and presented ‘simple’ solutions to complex problems and directed them to blame the ‘metropolitan elite’. When so many of those people lack the education and ability to think critically, and the Democrats are unable to present a coherent alternative, his cult status continued to grow even though he is the antithesis of what they think they want.
Same happened with Johnson whereby voters fed a diet of social media and entertainment said the thing they liked was his charisma, ignoring competence, integrity and leadership.
