It's not just the Maga hats. There is a substantial amount of the population that thinks claims like this are just muckracking by "the other side", and that he is really the better candidate in terms of economy, border security, and traditional values.

Trump does something of this nature every week and I read this same comment every week.

Nixon did the same during the Vietnam war. He just wasn’t public about it. Same with Reagan during the hostage crisis.

There are no rules if there is an “R” next to your name.

This would normally totally annihilate a presidential run.

What annihilates a Presidential Run is heavily predicated on the propaganda machine surrounding the candidate.

In this case, you've got an American media that is fully in bed with the MIC and a big client state of the MIC generating enormous returns through procurement.

Why would a conglomerate that profits off sale of arms to Israel want a ceasefire? Why would media owned by these conglomerates bad mouth a candidate that promises to increase military aid and Pentagon spending?

For the same reason you see glowing coverage of Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the Philippines, and India, you're going to keep seeing us love bomb our favorite genocidal dictatorship in the Middle East.