MAGA doesn't get a populism pass just because they think trump's unconventional trait in things that don't really matter will translate into something positive for things that do matter.

Of course not. Trump's bad ideas and bad policy decisions are still bad, and the fact that he's highly disinhibited (I like that word) doesn't make them good.

But...that disinhibited personality is appealing to a lot of voters. They like that Trump says in public, in front of a mike, a lot of the things that politicians would never say. Partly because they believe that many politicians secretly believe some of that stuff, and are just performatively not saying it in public. And partly because they believe and would like to say some of that stuff, but they don't have the courage or power to say it. Trump is rich and powerful and doesn't care what his enemies think of him, so he's able to say out loud what they wish they could say.

So the "you won't believe the dumb thing Trump said today!" stuff is actually beneficial to him, I think. Trump's winning the day if he's driving the news cycle with some provocative nonsense.