The fear of economic extinction is a powerful inducement to see Trump in the best possible light — to focus on things you like (tax cuts, judges, Israel) while ignoring or excusing things that are hard to defend, like blatant xenophobia, attacks on the media as the “enemy of the people,” demands to lock up the opposition, declarations of “love” for Kim Jong Un, etc.

You begin by saying “I don’t like Trump but …” and then you explain why you have to support him to save America from Hillary Clinton. Now it’s to save America from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). There is always some villain on the horizon far worse than the one in the White House.

You excuse his outrageous utterances — “those are just tweets.”

When you can’t actually defend him, you instead attack his critics, claiming they are suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The more that critics attack you for your support of Trump, the more you dig in. The more Trump misconduct you defend, the more you feel compelled to defend. In for a penny, in for a pound. No going back now.