From my own experience, fair representation doesn’t seem necessary to a populace that feels the political system has never actually represented them. And it is difficult for people in that position to feel that lack of necessity isn’t by design. Trump came along and confirmed that feeling for many people. Never mind that he was one of the coastal elite he talked about. Or at least an ostracized member of the coastal elite. He exploited the knowledge of the exploited that they were being exploited. This is what allowed a con-artist and a bully with no political experience but a bit of celebrity mystique to beat Clinton—a flawed candidate, yes, but objectively speaking probably one of the most qualified presidential candidates in recent American history. Something I find even scarier than Trump as president is that he won’t be the last person to successfully follow this model.