Trump is akin to a cult leader, with tens of millions of followers. The longer GOP leaders continue to protect and back him - for their own self serving political careers - even knowing the truth, they're hastily speeding up and contributing to the destruction of the US itself, all from within.
While smart and calculating demagogues are indeed a massive destructive force to any nation, so too are cult leaders and all their sychophantic enablers that support them.