“Some argue that Trump’s policies and achievements without his personality would have more votes, but it is not clear whether many voters would show up without his personality. Mitt had a pleasant personality but it did not get him enough votes.”
I don’t think you got that right. Trump without the personality would not have the Mitt Romney problem. If Trump was Trump without the Trump personality (if you can imagine), his lack of policies and achievements would be obvious for all the world to see. No one would vote for him, not because he was too bland or unpopular, but because he was too incompetent. The zombies see the bombast as policies and achievements. The rest of us see a bombastic incompetent loser.