I think this is a reflection of the fundamental difficulty in getting interviewees -- whether in a survey or an in depth interview as here -- to provide causal narratives for their own beliefs, especially when those beliefs are overdetermined.

Republican voters have adopted flagrant lying as a tactic too. They realize they can spin polls/coverage.

Absolutely the case. But shouldn't the media that's putting out these narratives also let us know when someone likely already has a predetermined mindset?

True, but I think in this case they would have been serving Barbara better by making it clear that she's a hateful bigot, rather than a credulous moron.

no, they have no causal narrative in the sense an educated person would think don't over think this

The reason it’s difficult to get people like this to provide a causal narrative is because the interviewee knows the actual reasons she likes Trump is because she’s a virulent racist, and you can’t say these things to a reporter from the New York Times.

If you asked me why I have the political preferences I do in this or any election, I could provide many reasons, and I might choose to emphasize different reasons when talking to my friends (who, perhaps, I am trying to persuade) than if I were talking to a stranger