I would say a defining piece of Trump is he brings out the worst in people, whether it be the people in front of the camera, his diehards, or the anti-sentiment towards him.
(BTW, I think Don Jr. might actually be
worse than dad in front of the camera. He's like a caricature.)
Trump's "poorly educated" line sparked much reaction, including smirking and shock.
www.snopes.com
Afterwards, in a speech to supporters, Trump touted how many different demographic groups he won in Nevada, declaring that “We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated,” before exclaiming “I love the poorly educated!”
I interpreted this as part of Trump's manipulation of his base. You'd never say that. You might say, "I love you, but I hope you get an education
." The Forgotten, those that felt marginalized due to outsourcing; the uneducated etc who lacked self-esteem or felt shame. He tapped into that. The deplorables in some ways because it was on simmer for a long time till Trump came to open the gasket.
I should've added this since it's possible...
As is often the case, it was difficult to discern whether Trump’s remark about loving “the poorly educated” was meant literally or ironically or jokingly. Some observers reacted to it with dismay, while others defended it.