I think some of the problems may come from primacy. On many light aircraft, including popular training ones, the elevator is the majority of the pitch control surface and the trim a much smaller tab. This is completely reversed on most jet transports and leaves the trim with much more authority than the elevator (for sound aerodynamic reasons), which IMO doesn’t get emphasised enough in training.
Most exercises can be successfully completed by a) keeping the aircraft roughly in trim and manoeuvring on the elevator or b) stopping a runaway by disconnecting the trim. It is rare to be presented with a scenario where trim and elevator are in total opposition, at which point there is usually a consistent winner...