There is a fine old Americanism which may have outlived most American minds by now:

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." This is kind of sad because it displays an implicit self confidence that the average American was competent to parse reality with enough success to figure it out.

This is why I was so depressed by the performance of many Americqans in the 2016 election. And here SIX YEARS LATER the supposedly canny citizens of New York prove themselves PDS (PrettyDamnSusceptible) to the mouthings of a guy in a relatively clean brown suit who practises a little resume inflation.

Unless he actually stole enough money to arouse the cupidity of his co-sponsers, he falls into that democratic basin of a-legality that allows votes to supplement good order, law and morality.

This is something that Trump has not led us to, but has shown us as in a mirror of shame and stupidity.
"