Some participants include...
Adam
Adam is a small-business owner who lives in San Antonio, Texas. He voted for Donald J. Trump, hoping Trump would be a positive disruptive force in American politics. His fiancee supported Hillary Clinton, and political differences put a strain on their engagement. They are now married and navigating a new political reality together.
Alexander
Alexander is a young veteran at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He considers himself socially progressive. Alexander spends his summers interning for organizations like NASA and Lockheed Martin. Defense is very important to him. He served in Afghanistan and is concerned about how the Trump administration is influencing the way other nations view America.
Angel
Angel is a teacher and pastor at a Hispanic church in Houston, Texas. He believes Trump will defend conservative Christian ideals. A father of four, Angel is especially concerned about national security and protecting America's borders. Angel and his family lost their home in Hurricane Harvey and are staying at their church while they rebuild with the help of volunteers.
Derek
Derek is a progressive evangelical Christian who lives in Southern California. He is a middle-school science teacher and the father of two kids. He is especially concerned about education reform and protecting the environment for future generations. Frustrated with the political system, he is preparing to run for office in 2018.
Irtefa
Irtefa is a Hijabi Muslim-American woman working on her PhD in Anthropology in Charlottesville, Virginia. She was abroad for 14 months for her dissertation fieldwork and returned to the U.S. shortly before Trump’s inauguration. Irtefa is exploring how to bridge her academic life with her political activism and wants to impact national issues by focusing on local politics, including the debates and protests over Confederate statues in Charlottesville. She's particularly concerned about how Trump's policies will affect local attitudes about healthcare and race.
Isabel
Isabel is originally from Mexico and now lives in Virginia. She has DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) status. As Trump was sworn into office, Isabel was driving to Arizona to work with a migrant detainee organization. She has since returned to Virginia. She lives in constant fear about what the new administration’s immigration policies might mean for her and her family and friends, many of whom are also undocumented.
Jon
Jon is a farmer who lives in Georgia with his wife and two children. He voted for Trump and admires him for being an outsider. He stumped for the president at rallies leading up to the election and has continued to support Trump since his inauguration. As a veteran, Jon is especially passionate about defense and the role the U.S. military plays in keeping the peace around the world.
Kelli
Kelli lives in a small town in East Appalachia. She comes from a family of conservative coal miners and was raised in a mining community that supported Trump. Kelli supported Clinton. She worked as a reporter in Kentucky for most of Trump’s first year in office and wrestled so extensively with the way the media covered Appalachia that she ultimately stepped away from journalism. Kelli is now focused on starting a small business. She and her husband are raising three children.
Marjorie
Marjorie is a 78-year old Trump supporter. She lives in the rural town of Mexico, Maine. The town supported Obama in 2012, but flipped to Trump in 2016. Marjorie is a pro-life Catholic, and the matriarch of a large extended family. She feels threatened by the presence of Somali immigrants in her community.
Mary
Mary is an atmospheric scientist researching how pollutants affect the air we breathe. Her work is funded by NASA and relies on data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. She's also a new mom raising a rambunctious toddler, and she worries about what the future of this country might mean for her young son.
Michael
Michael is a semi-retired, conservative senior living in central Florida. He supported Democrats his entire life, but he underwent a political shift after 9/11. He's not a big fan of Trump's rough edges, but nevertheless considers the new president to be the kind of leader the country needs. Michael follows politics aggressively, and is optimistic about the direction in which the Trump administration will take the country.
NicolE B.
Nicole is an Idaho-based, Hillary Clinton-supporting millennial. She has spent her career protecting and maintaining public lands. She is concerned about the environmental and regulatory policies of the Trump administration and worries she might soon be out of a job. With a family member dependent on Medicaid, she is also nervous about the future of federally-supported health programs.
Nicole C.
Nicole is a Black American woman living in San Francisco. She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. She was extremely upset by the election results and by the example that President Trump is setting for her two young children.
Richie
Richie is a 23-year old Trump supporter who lives in Park Ridge, Illinois — Hillary Clinton's hometown. Richie studies filmmaking at an ultra-liberal art school, where his political beliefs make him feel isolated. Richie feels oppressed by political correctness and the liberal culture that surrounds him.
Vadym
Vadym is from Kiev, Ukraine, where he lives with his family and works for a U.S.-owned telecommunications firm, phoning clients all over the country. Vadym is a businessman who speaks five languages, and he has a longstanding admiration for America. He believes in what the U.S. can teach the politicians of his own country as they struggle to end a culture of corruption. Vadym and his wife are navigating a life-changing decision about emigrating to Canada, a choice that’s becoming increasingly difficult for them as they watch current politics play out.