Lex Luthor literally becomes president in many versions of the Superman cartoons.
The idea of a rich billionaire with a narcissist Messiah complex with a bone to pick with heroes and actual helpful people that becomes popular and eventually the US President is practically a trope. Apparently this generation has forgotten the message.
Like the way some people see cyberpunk, it's not so much that they forgot is that they missed the point completely. They see an author warning about a dystopia and they just want the shining neon lights. Or as Confucius put it "when a wise man points at the moon the fool examines the finger."
Lex Luthor is as a concept, a corrupt self serving villain who readily sacrifices his underlings to get ahead. But gains popularity and power anyway.
The difference is that in the cartoon universe, they had to make up a believable reason why the US citizens would vote for Lex. Ex: invented a Kryptonite power plant or something.
In the real world, it turns out you can just demonize immigrants.
You assume the people who learned the message forgot it rather than the people who failed to learn it continuing to vote without understand the repercussions of their actions
Step up your game. Imagine becoming a president, grifting as hard as possible, then when it all comes out prison would be all but inevitable... unless next president pardons you right as he assumes office.
Liberty requires justice, justice requires truth. You can undermine the justice system like Trump and Putin have by attacking truth directly. Foreign and domestic propaganda fills most people's heads following the Russian method to overload with frequent bullshit to obfuscate truth. It's especially harmful to those most prone to influence with bullshit backed by paid actors to attack truth.
'"The company never disclosed to the influencers or to their millions of followers its ties to RT and the Russian government," Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Wednesday.'
This right here is the correct answer. The average American is a little bit stupid but generally speaking, the reason why we are is because our education system sucks shit and we are bombarded with conflicting misinformation from literally all angles, constantly. Foreign actors lie to us just as frequently as our own government and corporations do. Truth has become a precious and rare commodity and is frequently discarded out of hand when it is found because the education system hasn't taught most of us how to challenge our own assumptions.
Most people aren't stupid, they're misguided. As in, led astray, purposefully.
NGL I was apalled at first but the idea is kind of growing on me.
CEO played by Eddie Murphy: "Alright, well, how do we get out of this?"
Eddie's Lawyer (David Hasslehoff): "Sorry, sir, but these charges are like steel, you'd have to be the president of the United States to get out of this mess."
CEO: "Well alright, then, let's do that. Where do we start?"
Lawyer: "Haa HahaHAA~... you're serious...?"
Later on in the film,
Anchorwoman: "Here on screen, now, we see a clip of KKK Grand Wizard Rudolph McHornberry seen here shaking hands with his endorsed presidential candidate, CEO of placeholder holdings limited. Critics are calling him an Uncle Tom, while supporters are bashing current lawmakers as 'hypocrites who talk about tolerance and don't practice it' one X formerly twitter user puts it."
Add in a VP pick played by also Eddie Murphy aged up who is an overqualified lifelong politician who understands demographics and campaign funds and laws but is less populist and more reserved on policy. Have the rising action with old VP Eddie being revealed as part of an evil international organization trying to reduce life on earth to consolidate power into one council, CEO Eddie doesn't give af, female lead reveals they plan to kill CEO immediately after inauguration, now it's personal and Eddie has to escape from his own security detail and announce his concession at CPAC.
CEO: "Ah shit, I can't do this, we need some guns."
Female Lead: "We can't get guns in here, it's not allowed."
So, like of Michael Douglas' character didn't die at the end of Falling Down and they did a sequel? I have a hunch that a lot of MAGAts actually consider him the hero of the movie.