2020: And some of them, I’m sure, are good people.

Trump is charismatic because he's a narcissist. Not in spite of it, but because there's a direct causal link.

This plays into a host of factors for the afflicted, including poor self esteem, familiarity with (and abuse from) other narcissists, and a whole lot more. This is very, very bad news because it suggests that a huge swath of the country is coping with some degree of mental health problems. The current system is pretty good at handling full-blown disorders, but anything less gets a pass or maybe is held at bay with minimal intervention. The bad part is that folks are predisposed to overt manipulation like we've seen in the last two presidential elections, because of it.

Upside is that enough people are self-aware and this search text auto-completed for me. But good grief are there a lot of results: https://www.google.com/search?q=why+do+i+find+narcissists+attractive

Edit: Usually I like posting things like this along with a solution, rather than just alarming people. In this case, I feel the need to post the core problem at hand, so that maybe people can see what they're actually up against, and focus their efforts in the right place. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the right answer is here, but I'm willing to talk to anyone about it. Thanks for reading.

NYT should say that

NYT SHOULD SAY THAT.

NYT will never say what is actually the truth with Trump and his supporters for the simple reason that they are unable to do so.

Journalism Error. Reboot Democracy? (y/n):

People don't like being told they can't do/have something, even if it is bad for them or they don't actually want to do it. Like how dogs will bark at closed doors (Barrier Frustration) or telling a kid to clean his room makes him not want to do it. Trying to keep him off of the ballot or putting him in prison, even if it is the legal consequence of his own actions, makes people want to vote for him more.

People like Trump for the fascism. So yeah, they're all assholes and always have been.

Even back in 2015 I was calling trump supporters worse things than "shit people." I considered them traitors to our country even back then. Anyone so decrepit of mind and spirit as to elect that walking piece of maggot shit to public office is, in my opinion, mentally abberant and a danger to all other human beings on earth. Only now, my opinion about his supporters is even darker and more hateful.

They were proud when Hilary called them 'deplorable.' If the Times called them out, it would just prove what they already believe; that they are being oppressed by the elites.

No I don't think I'll excuse any of his voters. I could see he was a budding fascist in 2015, if you voted for him in 2016 you're a piece of shit.