That some individuals may occasionally be fooled does not change the fact that large subsets of the population just guzzle down whatever drivel their chosen political pundit makes up that day. It’s plenty useful to acknowledge the presence of collective brain rot.
I think nearly everyone has lied at some point, most consequentially. Who hasn't been taken by a lie, or repeated something they knew they couldn't verify? I'm pretty confident in my positions and outspoken about them but I don't always speak up when I ought, and I often speak up when I shouldn't.
There is no "timid segment of the population" there is only us. It's much more constructive to study the pressures, constraints, incentives, and conditions that lead individuals and groups into these actions.