Like so much in this election cycle, if you listen to closely to what the mainstream media and polls are saying, you get it all wrong.
You must rely on your own antenna and common sense. And that's exactly what Trump has been doing. He would not go down this arduous road if he was confident he could win -- and a very strong probability of winning.
I think like the other 15 or GOP competitors he faced, he could sense that Hillary was very weak, people are tired of the government failures, and we are ready for a big change.
don’t get me wrong, there are demographic shifts going on in this country... and if the Republican’s don’t wise up they will be eventually overrun by them...
But the belief that you can’t say anything that some activist group for a minority group is offended by and win an election is idiotic and the cowardice the GOP and its candidates have exhibited over the past several decades in the face of these shifts, trying to remain “politically correct” is the biggest problem... and as Trump is showing you can get support even among minorities by speaking the truth vs remaining politically correct.. you may not win all or even the majority of them, but you will win enough of them to remain a very viable party.