the other thing is that Kirk performed VERY different roles for different audiences. i've seen footage of him one-on-one with a friendly / curious audience and the man actually *did* have charm; his public Debate Me Bro persona was deliberately offputting & it's the only one MOST of us ever saw
Tucker Carlson, until only recently, pulled off the same trick.
I figured it was something like that when I saw the photo of him with Trump and RFK Jr. He had showered and washed his face until it was shiny. He was wearing a good suit. He was smiling brightly. Those are important traits to evangelicals.
Poor little Nicky Fuentes
wow... he could seem human in front of adoring fans in an adulatory setting... do you want to dig the hole a little deeper before you stick the bar in it? that's NOT a description of a guy with charisma... it's a barely functional narcissist managing to pass