I think this is whats fresh about the article. (especially coming from NYT) "There were undoubtedly many reasons for Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, but a key one

I think this is whats fresh about the article. (especially coming from NYT) "There were undoubtedly many reasons for Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, but a key one was that many Americans seemed to view him as a protest candidate" We all know the facts of the article. This sentence is about the consequences of those facts.