From Roy Moore to NFL protests a look back at a year in identity politics
During his presidential campaign   Trump  asserted that  he  would make a better president for the LGBT community than Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. But after  he  was elected   Trump  failed to recognize LGBT Pride Month in June  which commemorates the birth of the modern gay rights movement.  He  also proposed that transgender people be banned from serving in the military  allegedly joked that Vice President Pence wanted to harm LGBT people and endorsed a Republican Senate candidate who said that homosexuality should be illegal. Yet this year brought some victories for the LGBT community with historic election wins in Virginia  Seattle  Minneapolis and other races.
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll found that 67 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are more fearful than hopeful about the country’s future. Young adults have historically had low participation in midterm elections  but discontent with Republicans among millennials could bring the country’s youngest group of voters out in higher numbers than usual. Fewer than three in 10 18- to 29-year-olds approve of  Trump ’s job performance. Millennial voters played key roles in the 2017 elections and will likely be influencers in 2018.
Arguably the most reliable voting bloc for  Trump  — and the GOP — has been white evangelicals.  Trump  is very aware of this  frequently thanking the group for  its  support of  his  presidency.  He  has granted the Christian Broadcasting Network more interviews than  he  has given mainstream media organizations. Some evangelical leaders  pleased that  Trump  has granted evangelicals more access to the Oval Office than ever before  feel confident that the trend will continue throughout  his  presidency. Others  however  have expressed concern that their reputations and the reputations of their churches have been hurt for standing behind Trump  Moore and other controversial figures.
Pastor Joshua Nink  right  prayed for then-candidate Donald Trump after a Sunday service at First Christian Church in Council Bluffs  Iowa  in 2016. (/Jae C. Hong/Associated Press  File)
According to a recent Pew Research Center poll  the overwhelming majority — 82 percent — of Americans believe 2017 was a bad year for race relations. After  Trump ’s comments on the Charlottesville violence and  his  strong criticism of the protesting NFL players  60 percent of Americans say  Trump ’s election was responsible for worsening the country’s racial tensions.
During his presidential campaign   Trump  asserted that  he  would make a better president for the LGBT community than Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. But after  he  was elected   Trump  failed to recognize LGBT Pride Month in June  which commemorates the birth of the modern gay rights movement.  He  also proposed that transgender people be banned from serving in the military  allegedly joked that Vice President Pence wanted to harm LGBT people and endorsed a Republican Senate candidate who said that homosexuality should be illegal. Yet this year brought some victories for the LGBT community with historic election wins in Virginia  Seattle  Minneapolis and other races.
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll found that 67 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are more fearful than hopeful about the country’s future. Young adults have historically had low participation in midterm elections  but discontent with Republicans among millennials could bring the country’s youngest group of voters out in higher numbers than usual. Fewer than three in 10 18- to 29-year-olds approve of  Trump ’s job performance. Millennial voters played key roles in the 2017 elections and will likely be influencers in 2018.
Arguably the most reliable voting bloc for  Trump  — and the GOP — has been white evangelicals.  Trump  is very aware of this  frequently thanking the group for  its  support of  his  presidency.  He  has granted the Christian Broadcasting Network more interviews than  he  has given mainstream media organizations. Some evangelical leaders  pleased that  Trump  has granted evangelicals more access to the Oval Office than ever before  feel confident that the trend will continue throughout  his  presidency. Others  however  have expressed concern that their reputations and the reputations of their churches have been hurt for standing behind Trump  Moore and other controversial figures.
Pastor Joshua Nink  right  prayed for [TGT] after a Sunday service at First Christian Church in Council Bluffs  Iowa  in 2016. (/Jae C. Hong/Associated Press  File)
According to a recent Pew Research Center poll  the overwhelming majority — 82 percent — of Americans believe 2017 was a bad year for race relations. After [TGT] ’s comments on the Charlottesville violence and  [TGT]  strong criticism of the protesting NFL players  60 percent of Americans say  Trump ’s election was responsible for worsening the country’s racial tensions.