is all it takes for grifters and sociopaths to get many under their spell. And it's even easier when times are hard and the people you are speaking to lack critical thinking skills. Obviously not confined to the US by any means, but many of its citizens were particularly susceptible to being manipulated by an individual who has spent his entire adult life conning, ripping off and betraying everyone he comes into contact with. The perfect storm.

Trump voters who thought and maybe still think he'd only hurt the people they don't like deserve everything they get, and the ones who thought he'd bring down the price of groceries and usher in world peace are only slightly less contemptible. I suppose ignorance is a lesser sin than malice.

The people across the political spectrum who tried to stop this madness and are aghast at the predictions they made about the implications of a second Trump presidency being proved horribly correct, with interest, have my full sympathy.