Fuck that, the American people have shown they do not care about nerds citing policies. They care about narratives.

Run with the ad Homs if that’s the narrative needed to win, then use the power to implement policy. Anything less is bringing a book to a gun fight

That's true, though it might attribute too much intentionality to voter decisions.

My hunch is that a lot of Americans ticked 'Trump' because of brand recognition.

It's like buying laundry detergent. Most people know nothing about the chemistry or efficacy. They pick whatever package looks familiar, 'Tide' probably