I do not think those things are mutually exclusive.

I do think Trump is selfish but that does not make him uninterested in creating an economy that he can prosper in... and such an economy is good for others... especially working people. His core campaign was built on economic growth, job growth, and wage growth... he pretty much achieved all three until the pandemic arrived.

Specifically, Trump position against globalism primarily benefited blue collar factory workers economically, even if it cost consumers. It is one reason Trump won a great share of the "working guy's vote" and why so many union members voted against the endorsement of their union.

If you still know many contractors, you would agree most of them supported Trump. Here in California blue collar pick-up trucks were about the only vehicles you saw with Trump bumper stickers.

I always thought the Clintons were out for the Clintons... but unlike Hillary, Bill Clinton's policies were good for the economy especially after his pivot in his second term. Another example of where selfishness does not translate into bad policy. In contrast, I have always thought Jimmy Carter to be one of the most moral presidents in my lifetime, but his policies were a failure.

As an aside, I am surprised that the construction industry never developed in effective escrow system where customers put up the money for a job and it gets released based on contractual milestones. But on the bright side, the unethcial behavior of consumers, general contractors, and even subcontractors has helped to create a good business for us.

I originally began my career as an executive in the insurance industry (I later migrated to health care).

I see one of the core values we bring to the table is "insurance". At some level, we make sure the work gets done properly and the contractors get paid... we also provide financing by carrying the receivable for up to 60 days (about a third of our work is fixing places up for sale). We get paid out of escrow or 60 days whichever comes sooner. Most recently, we sell people on the proposition that we don't take jobs we can't finish on time (really important if someone is fixing up their house for sale).

At the end of the day, much of what we do is restore trust in the process.