Here's a screenwriting truism that explains a lot of soft Trump support to me: It's really hard to dislodge an audience's first impression of a character. People have him in their head as '80s business guy or The Apprentice boss, and nobody -- including himself! -- has been able to undo that.
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There's a reason why "Heel Turn" and "Face Turn" are phrases that make complete sense to any wrestling fans but... not so much outside
Breaking bad immediately came to mind
There's hard science behind the impact of first impressions.
I saw this detailed for corporations. The first days of a new employee set that, good or bad first impression, and it proved very difficult to dislodge after. The lesson was, provide a warm welcome, they respond.