TRIM and CLEAN results can't be used

I'm using TRIM and CLEAN in an attempt to resolve another problem with Custom Sort.

I copied and pasted a table with data from one worksheet to another worksheet in the same workbook. When I Custom Sort the Level 1 Column E data the alphabetization works, but doesn't on the Level 2 Column C. Instead of the names in Column C being alphabetized within the Column E sort, they start alphabetically, but then "start over" in the middle of the Column C alphabetized list. This is why I suspected some formatting may have imported with my copy and paste from the first worksheet and why I'm trying to use the TRIM and CLEAN command.

When I use TRIM and CLEAN, I get a duplicate table of the data next to the original data. But when I try to cut or copy and paste the cleaned data, it merely disappears. When I try to delete the original data to replace it with the cleaned data, everything deletes. If I try to delete it by rows or columns, the corresponding data in the cleaned table also disappears. Also, the Custom Sort function still doesn't work using the cleaned range of data.

I've also cleared ALL formatting from the worksheet in an attempt to Custom Sort the raw data and it still won't sort properly.

I've tried "Open and Repair" on the Workbook and I've even repaired Office 365 with no luck.