Have you ever bothered reading the US Constitution or the Federalist Papers?

As originally constituted, people in the various states vote for electors (or in some cases state legislatures choose them), not for presidential candidates. That is, the vote is for a number of citizens who they trust to make a good choice. There is no presidential candidate on the ballot.

Then the electors vote for president in separate elections in each state. The idea is that a sufficient proportion of these electors will be men of good judgment that they will not agree to select someone crazy to be president. Because the electors are not otherwise elected officials, it is supposed to be impossible to corrupt them all.

If no one gets an outright majority in the electoral college, then the House of Representatives will choose from between the top few candidates from the electoral college vote.

The indirect nature of this election is intended to prevent an eventuality like a deeply ignorant pathological liar and severe narcissist with no practical experience getting elected to the job of President.

But through subsequent changes, our electoral system has become closer to a direct popular election, precisely as Hamilton and Madison worried might lead to demagogues.