The increasingly popular unpopularity of populism

Is populism getting more popular: Crowd of Trump supporters marching on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021

Donald Trump led Ron DeSantis by just 2% in early 2023. Now, four indictments later, he leads by 37%. Why do populist candidates increase their popularity when embroiled in scandal? Perhaps it is due to perceptions of an ‘establishment’ stitch-up.