He certainly appeals to many people's baser instincts and that is why they like him. The progressives can't reach this demographic as their elitism and sense of superiority is too obvious. You can't call half of the country "deplorable" and expect them to vote for you.

I don't know if it is the times or if my memory of the past is rose tinted, but it seems to me as if the entire political class in the US has declined in quality pretty much across the board.