"How did a great, sophisticated nation, one of the world's longest-standing republics, end up so fragile that it can be undone by one man's dementia?"

Corporate America has screwed over the workers so badly the remnants of the middle class are so desperate for their lives to improve they will believe a compulsive lying billionaire when he says he will make it better for them.

Since 1970 wages have stagnating and all productivity has gone upward to the 1%.
Not only have wages been stagnating, defined benefit plans have pushed onto the employees as 401k plans, health care insurance has become pushed more and more onto the back of employees, dental and vision insurance eliminated, profit sharing eliminated. So hell yes they're desperate. Meanwhile food, energy and housing prices have shot up. Desperate people will do desperate things. Like believe a compulsive liar billionaire will take care of them.

Not only did they fall for his lies once, they fell for them twice. That is the result of the dumbing down of the education system and the billionaire propaganda network pushing the 1% agenda as "news".

It's easy to blame the immigrants who will work three minimum wage jobs for "stealing" the good paying jobs away from the middle class. When it is regurgitated 24/7/365 it becomes a perceived reality.

Texas has 2 million undocumented immigrants, Florida has 900,000. Minnesota has 130,000. Why is ICE making a theatrical farce there?

It's all reality tv from the appresident.