Willful stupidity is a sad thing to see. It might also be a broken bullshit meter or lack of. My Dad was raised in a very Catholic family, but became an atheist. While he worried about all his kids (3 of us) he really was concerned about my twin's gullibility - christ, she'd believe anything stupid that came down the pike.
My twin is a far right GOP supporter, Christian, gun owner. She is not talking to me these days.
I don't think we ever really like each other - an odd thing for identical twins. I quit the church thing when I was 12, well before I knew my Dad was atheist. Mom had us going to the Methodist church, which is what she was raised with. Not sure she was much of a believer either since she would just drop us off for Sunday school and church but said it was good for us. At 12 was when I said, "well, if it's so good for us why do you just drop us off at the door?" I quit going and our relationship went side ways from there. LOL

Americans appear to have absorbed more from action movies and TV shows than in school. Pair this with religion

Remember Winston Churchill’s “Democracy is the worst of all forms of government, except for all the other forms we have tried.”

And democracy is gradually catching on.

If during his campaign, mocking that handicapped reporter did not disqualify him I doubt anything will....once yer appointed by gawd anything goes.......

#stupid is as stupid does.

Ideally, competent and even talented people would seek office for the noble cause of improving everyone's life. However, the rules laid out in the Constitution are badly dated. Very little language addresses corruption. After 200 years, the crooks and the wealthy know how to trick the system. One of those tricks puts incompetent but loyal people in office.

Once upon a time the electoral college was charged with ensuring that lunatics could not gain power. 2016 showed how a full-blown malignant narcissist psychopath could be elected. One criminal scandal after another, and then Covid. Trump was so bent on grifting that a million people would die, and still, those most affected remain hypnotized.

The US is stuck with a failed charter, so from here on, its a train-wreck in slow motion. The society doesn't have the horsepower nor the will to fix its many problems, number one being a massive share of the population being profoundly deluded and delusional on account of their religious beliefs. The runner up is how, somehow, the intelligence services won't inform the population on how Russia (primarily) has engaged in a campaign of brainwashing with Fox, the GOP, SCOTUS and many others, working for Putin in exchange for rubles.

It starts with a lack of commitment to education, especially to teaching children really important skills like healthy skepticism, the basics of science and critical judgment. And there maybe a sinister reason for that. Which is that if you have those skills, then they make you self reliant and not needy. And who in government or commerce wants people who are self reliant and not needy, you can not sell them anything because they need little.