Well in their defense, they HAVE been getting away with lying to us for decades now. They have controlled and largely still control pretty much all American institutions that control the message--government, media, entertainment, education, scientific groups, big business, even major religious organizations. When they can get the gullible to believe or at least accept their lies and especially when they can get those gullible to repeat them over and over and over, they can pretty much control the people.
Since that situation has been developing for 50 years or more, it will take four years of Trump, eight years of JD or somebody like him, and probably another four to eight years plus a substantial representation of MAGA minded Republicans in Congress to turn that around.