As the center of the voting population disappears and voters become more polarized, the probability distribution shape of voters has changed to reflect that. Assuming the Downs model of the Median Voter Theorem holds, even a strongly polarized bimodal distribution has a median voter. The Theorem focuses on one central idea: candidates formulate policies (and campaigns) in order to win elections rather than win elections so that they can formulate the policies. The candidates position themselves to appeal to a certain demographic of voters, with the median voter in mind, and plan a strategy in order to capture those voters to win the election.
Donald Trump is one such example. He trademarked "Make America Great Again" a mere 6 days after Obama won reelection in 2012 leading one to assume that Trump has been planning this campaign for at least the last four years. He has studied the changing electorate and positioned himself in a place he believes is optimal to win the median voter. His slogan, "Make America Great Again" was taken from Ronald Reagan's campaign and revived for this 2016 campaign. Reagan's presidency is considered the Republican heyday by many conservatives, which may be the reason Trump chose that particular phrase.
The problem Trump may face in the election, however, is that the Downs assumptions are not the way real life works, and voters can chose to abstain. Trump is likely to alienate voters and lose a good portion those that stay home or those that vote for a third party candidate.
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