Trump won not only on a platform that was largely anti-globalization but also on the public mistrust of his opponent. Objectively, the electorate trust and like

Trump won not only on a platform that was largely anti-globalization but also on the public mistrust of his opponent. Objectively, the electorate trust and like Sanders far more than Clinton and he has spent his career trying to make progress on the same issues that gave Trump the presidency. This election was about economic issues from the start and despite how demonized Trump was, Clinton didn't stand a chance because her campaign was orthogonal to what huge swaths of the population cared about. I think the polls were so off this election cycle because Sanders lost the primary. Without him, Democrats lost their only chance to connect with voters that that are liberal but don't always vote based on social issues like abortion, gay marriage, etc (which are, along with minorities and unions, the bread and butter of the Democratic party). Obviously this years polling was a disaster but Sanders' hypothetical matchup polls are by far the weakest argument for why he should have been the nominee.