"What did Mr. Trump say" .... it did not matter nor does it matter what he says
the fact remains, his appeal goes beyond rational thinking .... throw everything you thought you knew (and did not know) about politics and begin the process with some assumption that America is the greatest nation to ever be and God created it as the promised land for Christians, throw in some arrogantly belligerent ignorance and you have a recipe which appeals to >50% of Americans