Trump’s voter base would champion those actions, it’s not like it’s unknown that he’s a scumbag developer that takes every effort to cheat everyone he deals with. But the important thing is that they believe he’s on their team or one of their tribe, which allows him a lot of leeway in his behavior compared to someone on the other team or tribe, for whom even a minor indiscretion is unacceptable.

Similar mechanisms are at work when a popular athlete is caught doing something, or priests, etc. Once someone’s ego becomes invested in you, you can more easily take advantage of them and that’s an important thing to learn (and wield for yourself).