The majority of Americans who voted, at least in the swing states, have voted for the republicans. Why? Do the republican policies reflect popular opinion? Or is it that their vibes are more aligned with the public? Or maybe people are worse off now than they were 4 years ago and are hoping to turn back time? As a non-american I don't quite get it. People must think their lives will materially improve under the republicans, but why?
I don't really see this as being the other side of the coin at all. Their voter base collapsed precisely because they failed to articulate any kind of positive vision or embrace any policies that might help the vast majority of Americans. People will not turn out to vote for you when you explicitly tell them you're not going to help them and that they should stop whining.
It is the other side of the coin of Trump winning the popular vote. That is precisely part of that dynamic. He also lost votes overall from last election. The Democrats lost so much more for the reasons you mention which are the reasons I mentioned. We must be clear when mentioning Trump won the popular vote, that Harris LOST so much more than that. She lost votes they would have previously gotten without picking up any from the Republicans (she actually lost about half a percent there as well!).