Nobody was shooting cruise missiles at the Yandex data centers. Seriously if you want to deny influence campaigns affecting US elections using a broad spectrum of influence ops, you also have to believe that advertising and PR doesn't work.

It's also not just happening to US elections, perhaps not even primarily to US elections. Brexit, AfD, Orban, etc. were all boosted with a strategic goal in mind.

Tbf trump has lost the popular vote more than he has won it. Voters picked Al Gore too… (and it seems likely that Florida was stolen)

Populism is historically both popular and destructive.

Because approximately half of them have IQs under 100, and are relatively easy for malevolent actors to herd to the polls.

Because people were (and still are) struggling and wanted something to change. Trump was the change candidate. Harris straight up said she wouldn't change anything.

The election was a rejection of stability.

At least, that's how people in the middle, who decide election results, saw things.

We rolled the dice and lost. But things still aren't working very well in society, so we'll roll the dice again.

They hoped the vote will hurt liberals, blue states, trans people and others they hate and dont consider real. But not themselves. They spend years listening to hate and learning to wish to destroy, so they voted for candidate consistent with that.

And some simply found Trumpian corruption and abuse to be manly and cool.

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