I heard someone asking the other day why we have so many authoritarian leaders now. It's not just Trump, it's Hungary, Poland, Turkey, India, China, Brazil, Philippines, and more. Not that long ago liberalism & democracy were on the rise. Now it's authoritarianism and semi-dictatorship.
Of course it is. Because the future looks grim, people see that the system is rigged for the rich with no chance for the 99%, and the jobs and way of life people thought was forever is disappearing.
When things are good people have no interest in strong men. In both Reagan's and Clinton's re-election when the economy was booming, the future looked brilliant, and we were talking about the end of history - a candidate like Trump would have been laughed off the stage.
But now, when the world is changing in ways that harm most people, when the system is deeply rigged in favor of the powerful, and when the mainstream candidates are tools of that system and will continue it - then a crazy person like Trump, Duerte, etc. is a vote for a small chance vs. no chance.
When the present system means you're absolutely fucked, burning the place down is a reasonable alternative.
And this is why I think Biden could well lose to Trump in the general. Because he promises a return to the system were most people are unequivocally fucked. He will be kind, caring, & respectful. He will fight racism, sexism, etc. But he will also continue a system were the vast majority of people are economically screwed.
Warren (and Sanders) are the two that can fight Trump on the battlefield of making life better for people. And in a positive way while Trump does so in a negative way.