That is not factual. People are intelligent, and every generation is a bit smarter than the last, but that does not magically make us immune to manipulation, nor our own ingrained biases. The arc between gullibility and persuasion is also not entirely clear; in general, people are not easily convinced nor manipulated, and always remain pretty susceptible to rational arguments, recent studies have shown.
The doomism about the US being finished might indeed be a narrative that is seeded by some media manipulators because desperation leads to inaction and is an enemy of progress.
Overall, the current maladies of the elected elites is decades in the making but likely will peak this year; and if the US does not fall for its fascist moment, I expect more sanity to return. Even if Trump wins, the history is not written as pro-democratic forces and protests have been gaining steam as well.
Overall, the situation is complex and we all can and should do our little part to make things better while remaining cheritable towards others whose only mistake might just have been to put their trust in the wrong people or networks.
Further reading:
https://protagonist-science.medium.com/asymmetric-power-in-the-information-age-1a6d6f2634c6
