1. You’re ignoring where Trump won votes - larger percentage of men, particularly black men and young men than in 2020, and larger percentage of Latinos. And those are just a few examples. The total may have been smaller but not only did he keep his core voters, he expanded to other demographics.

2. Kamala campaigning with Liz Cheney wasn’t so much of a problem as her inability to distinguish herself from Biden. The constant villainizing of Trump instead of promoting her own positive vision for America was simply too antagonizing for many swing and MAGA voters.