Trump won the nomination for being a maverick. He had name recognition but his views were anything but mainstream. Everybody he was against was very similar in platform just with varying degrees of weak optics.
Trump's victory (which shocked me for about 10 minutes until I realized that I myself said a long time ago "If we're voting a woman it will not be Clinton since she has way too much baggage.") had a lot to do with the following:
1. Clinton and her baggage/idiocy
2. Nonstop campaigning in the rust belt
3. Being a unorthodox, especially since Clinton was textbook career politician
4. A lot of butt hurt Bernie Bros sided with him out of spite (this is a small but relevant thing I keep hearing)
5. Not using identity politics. Leftists keep thinking republicans are this one big Christian organization and all right wing atheists vote libertarian that only vote for the most devout, the only thing Trump did was pick Pence as his running mate (which IMO was good since that signaled while he's no saint he at least has someone who can come off as a good Christian)
Trump's victory (which shocked me for about 10 minutes until I realized that I myself said a long time ago "If we're voting a woman it will not be Clinton since she has way too much baggage.") had a lot to do with the following:
1. Clinton and her baggage/idiocy
2. Nonstop campaigning in the rust belt
3. Being a unorthodox, especially since Clinton was textbook career politician
4. A lot of butt hurt Bernie Bros sided with him out of spite (this is a small but relevant thing I keep hearing)
5. Not using identity politics. Leftists keep thinking republicans are this one big Christian organization and all right wing atheists vote libertarian that only vote for the most devout, the only thing Trump did was pick Pence as his running mate (which IMO was good since that signaled while he's no saint he at least has someone who can come off as a good Christian)