I've never thought of Trump as a real politician.

"I've never thought of Trump as a real politician."

That was theoretically his appeal in '16. But make no mistake about it--one can have dementia and be a buffoon and also be a politician.

Politicians, regardless of their party, are simply the grown-up version of the "cool kids" who always had to sit at the Cool Kids Table. They can't sleep at night unless they're the center of everyone's attention, and they find their life's work by playing the game, glad-handing the right people, and endlessly congratulating themselves for "serving their country". For career politicians, elementary school never ends.

Trump owes his popularity to departing from this narrative, and voters have noticed. And while, like all celebrities, he has his own version of the "how I triumphed over adversity" story, people identify with him because he was never one of the cool kids career politicians. There's a vast difference between privilege and popularity.