But you seem to only be able to differentiate between Trump and someone like Palin by saying 'Well Trump is the one who was able to win the GOP nomination'. And other than that.....they are the same?

So I'm saying WHY Trump was able to win a GOP nomination while those others you mentioned couldn't. It's because he's different from them. Palin IS a stupid person. Trump MANIPULATES stupid people. And the latter is infinitely more dangerous than the former.

I'd suggest that there's an emotional reaction to the contention that Trump is a genius that takes over. Possibly because the word 'genuis' carries positive connotations and we can't bear to see a word that we associate with those connotations used to describe someone we hate so much. And we've seen that on these boards with several posters....who equate the declaration of Trump's 'genuis' with an advocacy for him.

So maybe it's simply a semantics thing. How about 'Trump is highly skilled in the art of persuasion and media narrative'? And if you deny this than you are burying your head in the sand. Bad guys are sometimes good at things. This makes them villains. Trump is a villain.