Intelligence is often used as a tool to generate more sophisticated arguments for what one already believes. A higher IQ correlates with the ability to find reasons supporting your stance, not with an enhanced ability to genuinely consider opposing viewpoints.

The surge in Independent voters is misleading. A significant portion are not persuadable centrists but are Trump-first loyalists who have been taught to scorn the Republican party. For them, Trump himself functions as their third party, not a vehicle for the GOP.

People are more infuriated by hypocrisy than by open corruption. Because a figure like Trump doesn't pretend to adhere to any ethical norms, he can't be accused of being a hypocrite. This blatant shamelessness acts as a shield, making traditional attacks based on norm violations ineffective.

Supporting Trump after he tried to overturn an election required a new level of justification. Backers embraced extreme narratives, like left-wing elites being child predators, because only a threat perceived as equally or more severe than Trump's actions could make their continued support feel morally coherent.

Seemingly irrational political decisions can be understood by applying a simple filter: politicians will say or do whatever they believe is necessary to get reelected. This framework decodes behavior better than assuming action is based on principle or for the public good.

Mapping Trump solely as a self-serving politician is incomplete. His behavior is better understood as a combination of a narcissist who seeks power and a patriot who genuinely wants to impose law and order, leading him to use extreme methods.

Most arguments aren't a search for objective truth but an attempt to justify a pre-existing emotional state. People feel a certain way first, then construct a logical narrative to support it. To persuade, address the underlying feeling, not just the stated facts.

Political parties socialize well-intentioned individuals into a system of professionalized groupthink. The pressures of party loyalty, gaining power, and maintaining a united front lead politicians to engage in acts they would consider immoral on their own, such as lying or supporting policies they disagree with. This habitualized behavior is a core flaw of party politics.

Contrary to the belief among D.C. elites that Trump was an 'accident of history,' voter focus groups revealed a genuine, bottom-up appetite for him. Many voters were tired of political dynasties like the Clintons and Bushes and actively wanted a disruptive outsider, a reality insiders failed to grasp.