Trump's election was very much boosted by race baiting and empty virtue signalling. He was seen standing up to it (and PC culture generally) and that itself made him popular, regardless of his many faults. That people took his words out of context and called him racist only made this more apparent and only helped him.
The Football Association now considers booing the take the knee as a racist act. Bravo the football community for their stance when our governments brush racism off as if its nothing worth considering.