All the glaring evidence that Donald Trump is uniquely, frighteningly unsuited to be returned to the White House didn’t matter.
Not his criminal conviction or the looming federal charges against him for election interference
Not the dire warnings of dozens of people who worked closely with and for him during his first term
Not his boorish, rambling, profane rally speeches and media exposure of the many outright lies they contained
Not his misogyny, racism and fondness for police brutality
Not his embrace of the ludicrous yet frightening Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Not his role in goading on the mob that violently attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and his subsequent promise to pardon those convicted of violently confronting police officers who blocked the effort to overthrow an election
Not the defections of many disgusted lifelong Republicans
Not his insouciant mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic
Not his ludicrous, vaporous and in many cases nonexistent policy proposals
Not his dual impeachments by the United States Congress
Not his manifest fondness for foreign dictators and his hostility to key U.S. alliances
Not views that 55% of those surveyed in exit polls Tuesday said were “too extreme’’
Not memories of the daily chaos and exploding deficits of his first term
Not his threats to prosecute and imprison his critics as “the enemy within”
Not his constant grifting — selling watches and sneakers and Bibles at exorbitant prices — or his record of numerous bankruptcies
None of these negatives — and there are many more— prevented Trump from winning resoundingly in both the national popular vote and the Electoral College in the election that concluded Tuesday.
