Well I think Trump himself instigated (or at least exacerbated) this race-to-the-bottom of the swamp of public opinion. From the early days of his election campaign he seemed to focus on his ego rather than facts, and so I think its hard for people to judge him on anything but the stall that he set out. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

I don't think you are wrong about trying to reach a middle ground, US politics has been hopelessly polarized for too long (and that isn't Trumps fault). What US politics needs is a viable third (or dare I say fourth) party, but I see no way of that happening until money is removed from the political system in a significant way. All the while votes are bought and sold by special interest groups funding ever larger and more lavish election campaigns, its going to be hard for grass roots movements to get the oxygen of publicity.