I dislike the establishment left, but 2016 was one of the most propagandized, misinformation filled, and corrupt elections - in no way can it be considered an "easy election".

Hindsight is 20/20... The electorate sees no where near that well, and didn't at the time.

The truth is fascism and pseudo or proto fascism is never an easy thing to defeat, because it breaks the rules and can appeal to forces and parts of human nature that most politicians won't or can't run with. This is why most fascists are praised as gifted speakers - even Trump - because they're appealing to powerful parts of human nature which are usually not spoken about in politics, let alone addressed directly.