I underestimated the extent of Trump's plans. He wasn't out to offend only the elitist leaders in culture; he wanted to take on the "establishment" Republicans, and divide evangelical voters from many of their most prominent voices. He succeeded through the power of his polarizing persona and his willingness to set party factions against one another by tapping into underlying grievances.
Trump didn't win over large numbers of religious conservatives by appealing to all of them. He won because he realized he didn't have to. During the primary season, he bypassed religious leaders and went straight for voters, choosing to make the same promises that appealed to the nonchurchgoing folks around them.
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