How was the town jester allowed to become King?

Let's face it, a manifest idiot, one who is supremely dishonest and with the intellectual capacity of a pea, in times gone by would have had limited opportunities, probably justly so. If he was mildly amusing - think bing-bong, bing-bong - he may have been elevated to a level where he would be allowed to amuse the local dignitaries and, if he was good at that, he may have reached the pinnacle of his 'career' by becoming the  town jester, or a jester of some other form. Conversely, if he was found to be less than amusing, especially if those he was supposed to entertain were powerful and didn't take to him, he may have had to witness his head and his body swiftly parting company.

Today's is a different society, with a much more fluid structure, where bing-bongers are not necessarily hampered by their lack of real qualities but allowed to make their own way in life. The person I'm talking about here - resemblance to a currently living personage is, indeed, intentional - happened to have a very successful, self-made, wealthy father who opened doors for him, nurtured his ego and financially supported him in his business career, certainly initially. Even he, however, could have not expected that his spoiled, brash, egomaniacal son would capture the hearts and minds - I use the word loosely - of quite a large section of the American people; this because the son in question, most probably actively following in his father's footsteps, looked down upon exactly this section of society. Entertaining them, yeah, why not, it shouldn't take much to please them, after all, but leading them and claiming kinship? How has that happened?

It just goes to show that people whose only contact with gold is, maybe, a gold tooth are easy prey for a man who thinks that gold everything is the epitome of chic!

This is not a process that has developed over time and matured as both sides got to know each other; rather, it's been a whirlwind affair full of lies and empty words, tacky glitz and bing-bongs, yet surprisingly durable nevertheless. This man's supporters are shockingly indifferent to reality, to actual deeds, to action and, in this present crisis, inaction and see him as a titanic figure battling the world for their and their country's benefit even while he shows flashes of his incompetence, meanness, dishonesty and, despite all his protestations to the contrary, stupidity.

How on this Earth of ours has that been allowed to happen? How? Are we human beings truly this stupid that we cannot see a jester for what he is? How do we see a giant when what is standing in front of us is a midget?