the choice between a demented, rambling, convicted felon who spews vague nonsense and obviously makes every single word that comes out of his mouth up, and a sharp-witted stateswoman
I feel like I'm going insane
You are OK, a sizable chunk of the US electorate is insane. And remember, in 2020 (a "high turnout" election) about a third of eligible voters voted Democratic, a third Republican, and a third stayed home.
Besides my previous observation on the abortion issue, you should look at the true predecessor of Drumpf - Ronald Reagan. (and note that I was born and raised as a Republican and until then had regularly voted for members of both parties)
When Reagan was running in the Republican primaries in 1980, he (repeatedly) made the horrifying and appalling statement that
"the government is the problem, not the solution." Immediately I went to the local courthouse and changed my party affiliation from "Republican" to "Independent" - where it has remained to this day.
With a Chief Executive who would hold the institution itself (which he took an oath to uphold) in contempt, then its debasement would be almost certain. And we have discussed at length who it is that wants to see the union (union of the states is what I am referring to here) broken.
What may be hard for you to understand is that there has always been a streak of obstreperousness in the US who have trouble distinguishing between freedom and anarchy. An assortment of politicians have tapped into a variety of frustrations and pointed all of them at "tha gub'ment" ....
Most tragic is that the various public institutions are the ONLY entities whose mission is
to form a more perfect union
establish justice
insure domestic tranquility
provide for the common defence
promote the general welfare
and secure the blessings of liberty.
And yet large numbers of potential voters have "convinced themselves" that some other entity will perform those mandates.
I DON'T THINK SO !