The thing about many of Trump’s leading surrogates, INCLUDING some who wrap themselves in the flag and constantly talk about the military:

Even if an audiotape emerged of Trump using crass language about troops and even if he later admitted it, many would STILL defend him.

It’s not at this point just about Trump. Who some of his own elected supporters don’t even like if they were to be honest with you privately.

A lot of people have tied their political brands to his. Their reputations. They fear going down WITH him.

And some people have even done illegal or at least highly unethical things in order to defend him. Which would be exposed and which would expose them to accountability if he loses.

The reason some of these guys (AND gals) cling to Trump like an alcoholic clings to the world’s last bottle of vodka is because they believe their careers, livelihoods and, in a few cases, even their own freedom from potential legal liability, depends on Trump staying in office.

If you thought your cushy job as a network pundit, a Senator, Representative or Cabinet Officer depended on Trump staying in office (assuming your had no conscience left intact), would YOU care about the truth of what Trump said or didn’t say about the vets?

If you maybe sort of kinda broke the law in order to cover for Trump breaking the law and you know that if Trump loses, someone will actually investigate and nobody will pardon, would YOU get all offended about how he feels about our military?

You’d probably somehow get over it.

Trump isn’t just the guy. He is the center of an industry for a brigade of grifters who write books about him, constantly get booked on TV in order to promote him and who keep their offices because voters in their states or districts will vote for them if Trump tells them to.

To these grifters, Trump is their paycheck. He’s their best hope of how they’re going to pay their mortgages in 2021 and beyond. It’s not about what he says or does. It’s about their ability to keep the gravy train operational so they can feed off of it a bit longer.

That’s why, for some people, and especially a lot of people in the influential elected official and professional pundit class, whatever concern they might have about what Trump says or does is overridden by a more practical concern: survival.