Trump is a smart man because he knows that much of the general public is ignorant. Know your enemy, as they say. He well aware that he has the biggest soapbox--or, as he put it, "the biggest microphone".
If someone says something he doesn't like, he can overrun them with bullshit and rhetoric. He can lie as much as he wants as long as he never admits the lie and as long as he keeps repeating it. All he has to do is run his talking point into the ground while attacking the credibility of anyone who disagrees and there will be a significant number of people who believe him.
It seems absolutely ridiculous but it works.
No one understand people better than a true demagogue. It's not about being right, it's about being able to convince the mob that you're right.
