Donald Trump won the votes of whites without a college degree by a bigger margin than any Republican presidential candidate since 1980. And there is reason for that. He gave voice to a group of people who have felt left behind."Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential," Trump said in his election night victory speech, one year ago this week. "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."At nearly every rally and campaign event, populated largely by whites, Trump spoke to their cultural grievances — and he has continued to do so as president.But what has also been clear is that nonwhites, many of whom have felt like targets of Trump's nationalist and protectionist tendencies, are also aggrieved. A survey by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health foundthat majorities across racial lines, including whites, said discrimination exists against their group.It does seem that in America today, it is something of a golden age of grievance.One year later It may be hard to believe, but this week marks one year since Trump was elected president of the United States. And it hasn't been the easiest go of it for the 45th president.As a candidate, Trump had the lowest favorability ratings of anyone ever elected since polling began. And since his ascendancy to the presidency, he has continued along a similar pattern — with the lowest job-approval rating of any president in modern polling.According to an average of the polls, Trump stands around 39 percent. That is about where he has been throughout his first 10 months in office. He peaked around 46 percent in early February, just after his inauguration, and he has never dipped below 37 percent, which he hit in mid-August.That was right around the time Trump faced widespread criticism for his response to racial violence and protests in Charlottesville, Va.All about that baseIt has been clear that when his back is against the wall, Trump goes back to where he derives energy — his base.For example:
- One of his first moves was to institute a travel ban that has been held up in the courts over whether it discriminates against Muslims.
- He tried to ban transgender people from serving in the military. That is also held up in the courts.
- Trump has taken a hard-line, nationalist approach on immigration endorsing a plan to cut legal immigration in half and make it "merit-based." He also called for an end to the diversity visa lottery program after the terrorist attack that killed eight people in New York last week.
Again and again, Trump has criticized political correctness."We have to get much tougher," he said after the New York attack, echoing a line from the campaign trail. "We're so politically correct that we're afraid to do anything."His base is holding mostly firm. There is some evidence of a softening of support but not enough that shows his people abandoning him.Art of the deal?Rhetorically, Trump certainly hasn't abandoned his base, but what about on policy?The next lines of that election night speech, after noting the forgotten men and women were these:
- African-Americans: 92 percent
- Latinos: 78 percent
- Native Americans: 75 percent
- Asian-Americans: 61 percent
And much higher percentages of nonwhites say they have personally experienced discrimination.For example, a third of Latinos say they have experienced discrimination when it comes to applying for jobs, getting paid equally or looking for housing.The gap between whites and African-Americans is even larger.Half or more African-Americans said they have been discriminated against personally when applying for jobs, getting paid fairly and in interacting with police. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.