I think people are missing your point: Trump's rhetoric wouldn't have taken hold if people weren't getting screwed. "The system" failed, and Trump was the result.
Harris's message: "Biden is doing fine and things are going great"*
Trump's message: "You're hurting right now, and I'm going to fix it for you"
Very similar to 2016 (in which Bernie's message was also closer to that of Trump)
Exercise for the reader: how might this framework explain Andrew Tate and the like?
* "The US economy is the envy of the world" (accurate though it may be) probably doesn't resonate when you can see your purchasing power slipping through your fingers (as highlighted by certain media outlets) and you can't buy a house
Harris's message: "Biden is doing fine and things are going great"*
Trump's message: "You're hurting right now, and I'm going to fix it for you"
Very similar to 2016 (in which Bernie's message was also closer to that of Trump)
Exercise for the reader: how might this framework explain Andrew Tate and the like?
* "The US economy is the envy of the world" (accurate though it may be) probably doesn't resonate when you can see your purchasing power slipping through your fingers (as highlighted by certain media outlets) and you can't buy a house