Despite four years of attacks on LGBTQ rights by the Trump administration Trump managed to double his support among LGBTQ voters.

The president netted 28 percent of the LGBTQ vote, up from 14 percent when he faced off against Hillary Clinton, according to a preliminary exit poll conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool, published by The New York Times.*

Joe Biden still managed to gain the vast majority of LGBTQ votes, with 61 percent of those self-identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender saying they cast their ballot for the former vice president, compared to 78 percent of the LGBTQ vote that went to Clinton in 2016.

Trump’s percentage of votes among other key demographics of gender and race remained largely unchanged, rising and falling by four percentage points or less in each case.

The Trump re-election team reached out to the LGBTQ community this year as part of its overall get out the vote ground game, launching a Trump Pride coalition, which is the first LGBTQ coalition formed by a Republican presidential candidate. The group hit the road in a number of swing states, like North Carolina, Michigan, Florida, and Pennsylvania, to try and sell Trump as pro-LGBTQ in spite of his record. Those events featured a rotating roster of speakers, including Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, and former Ambassador to Germany and Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell.

Great crowd in Pittsburgh for Trump Pride. #maga https://t.co/i1AySKuNtq 壯陽藥
m”>pic.twitter.com/18Gke50jlm

— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) November 2, 2020

They had their work cut out for them, as the president’s record is less than stellar in this area, but the exit polling numbers suggest their efforts might have had some effect.

Trump’s record on LGBTQ rights includes opposing the Equality Act, which would add protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity to existing civil rights law, arguing in favor of allowing employers to fire workers based on their LGBTQ status, imposing a transgender military ban, halting HIV research over the use of fetal tissue, rolling back Obama-era protections for trans inmates and students, and stacking the courts with judges with anti-LGBTQ records, including recently seated Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

Record High LGBTQ Voter Turnout

Not only did the 2020 election see record overall turnout, the LGBTQ vote also turned out in higher numbers, making up 7 percent of the total vote according to the poll.

LGBTQ voters made up 6 percent of the total electorate in the midterm elections two years ago and just 5 percent in 2016.

Trump is currently trailing Biden, with his re-election chances growing dimmer. There are five states left to be called at time of writing, with Arizona and Nevada both likely Biden wins, which would hand the election to Biden. He is also now leading in Pennsylvania and Georgia. If he wins he will have LGBTQ voters to thank in no small part, but perhaps not by as large a margin as many would have guessed.

*15,590 voters were polled at time of writing, with a notice that the numbers would be updated as more data becomes available. In 2016 Edison Research polled 24,537 voters leaving 350 voting places throughout the country on Election Day including 4,398 telephone interviews with early and absentee voters.

Both Salisbury Post editor Josh Bergeron and reporter Michael Eaborn from the newly-launched犀利士
independent outlet The Salisbury Observer were on the ground to cover the event, which saw cars and motorcycles flying Trump 2020, American, thin blue line, and Confederate flags as they rode through the streets of the small town, honking their horns.

pic.twitter.com/JVXr5ByYQf

— Josh Bergeron (@Joshpberg) October 31, 2020

Eventually the caravan made it to an early voting site, according to Bergeron, where they appeared to circle around the parking lot, close to the building. So close, in fact, they were apparently violating the campaign-free buffer zone, which in North Carolina is typically 50 feet from the entrance to the polling place, prompting Rowan County Board of Elections Director Brenda McCubbins to intervene.

Elections director Brenda McCubbins stepped out to stop further parading in front of polling location. It was within the 50 feet in which campaigning is not allowed.

— Josh Bergeron (@Joshpberg) October 31, 2020

Speaking of illegal activities, one of The Salisbury Observer‘s several Facebook livestreams from the rally showed one of the participants threatening to hit the independent journalist with the pole of her Confederate flag.

“We are live again, about to question that whole cesspool of corona,” Eaborn said in a video that appears to have since been deleted, while approaching some members of the group in the Big Lots parking lot where they met before driving through town and regrouped at the end of their run.

“I’m with the independent newspaper,” he said, announcing himself. “I’m just curious, y’all showed your support today for Donald Trump. Can you tell me a bit more about that?”

“Why do we support him?” the woman asked as she rolled up the flag.

“Because he’s not a socialist and he’s not a racist,” another participant replied.

“Biden is the one that signed the crime bill that locked up, or had many Black people locked up unfairly,” the woman interjected. In reality, that was former President Bill Clinton, although Biden did support it.

“So you guys now care about Black people?” Eaborn asked, prompting upset from the Trump supporter.

“You know nothing about me and you’re saying now I care?” she asked, taking a step forward. “No, no, sweetheart, I had a legal aid organization for 12 years…You need to walk away because you’ve been nothing but rude since you walked up.”

“Nothing but rude? You’re the one coming right at me,” Eaborn responded.

“You come at me saying now you care about Black people, you don’t know a damn thing that I’ve done for Black people my entire life,” the woman continued.

“You better step away from me before you feel this flag,” she adds, as she walks away and places it in the bed of a truck, before giving him the finger.

Deplorable Pride is planning another rally in Mint Hill on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, according to a Facebook event posting.