I wonder how much of this stuff is open-eyed lying and how much is an instinctual identity defense mechanism. There’s definitely a lot of both going on.

The cult of personality around trump makes his perceived power and competence one of the most important parts of the identity of his followers. Trump being a pathetic incompetent loser is a threat to their entire perception of reality. Believing one more gross improbability is just less stressful to a human brain than demolishing your worldview and starting again. In this way, even trump’s supporters number among his many victims.