A Defiant Trump, and an Audience to Match His Mood

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Is the country more divided than it was at the beginning of the political season? Will it ever heal? When Donald Trump last visited Charlotte way back in August, it was a subdued affair, as Trump rallies go — some signs, the candidate center stage, only a few halfhearted chants of “lock her up.” He was beginning his campaign’s message of outreach to African-American communities, with his awkward refrain of, “What do you have to lose by trying something new?”

Several supporters I talked with then in this diverse city were attracted as much by Trump’s moderate positions on issues such as abortion and LGBT rights as they were by his anti-establishment rage.

What a difference two months makes …