'She loved her babies': Indianapolis mom to 4 kids killed in Fountain Square shooting
POLITICS

Female Trump voters to protesters: Give him a chance

Central Indiana say they're impressed by president's commitment to safety, ability to leave mark on Supreme Court

Chelsea Schneider
Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com

In the beginning, Donald Trump wasn’t Jodi Smith’s first choice for president out of the wide Republican field.

But he earned the Pittsboro woman’s vote with his calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood, a health organization that provides abortions as part of its services.

In Carmel, Denise Moe’s vote went to Trump because she liked that he was a no-nonsense negotiator. Trump is “uniquely positioned to be able to change Washington,” Moe said.

For these Central Indiana women and others interviewed by IndyStar, Trump is the president who will make America safer, bring a nonpolitician’s view to the office and leave a lasting impression on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Their support comes in contrast to the hundreds of thousands of people who descended on Washington, D.C., on Saturday, and at a local march in Indianapolis, to send a message to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence — an administration they perceive as a potential threat to issues important to women.

For those concerned, Trump supporters have a message: Give him a chance.

Moe, a Hamilton County GOP volunteer, is “100 percent confident” in Trump. He’s not indebted to special interests, she said, so “he’s going to do what’s best for our country.” Moe, who identifies as a social moderate and supported Carmel’s anti-discrimination ordinance for gay and transgender residents, said she doesn’t think socially conservative issues are at the top of Trump’s priority list.

And that’s reassuring, she said.

“It’s OK to disagree with someone, but don’t be a one-issue voter,” Moe said. “When our country, and when mainly our economy is thriving, it helps everybody and everything, and it helps women and it helps social issues.”

Trump had a strong showing among certain groups of female voters in November, despite the release weeks before the election of a decade-old video where he could be heard making lewd and sexually aggressive comments about women.

He won 60 percent of white female voters in Indiana, according to CNN exit polls. Trump performed even better among white female voters without college degrees, receiving 65 percent of their vote.

Supporters told IndyStar they think voters dismissed the video and focused on what they felt were the strengths of Trump – growing jobs and national security.

Renee Cox, of Fishers, said Trump will restore the United States to its rightful place.

“I feel like we’re completely vulnerable,” Cox said. “I think as women we have an innate desire to be protected and feel safe, and we in turn provide that protection and safety to our own family members.”

Improving border security resonated the most with Rachel Quade, of Fishers. Quade spoke of her support of Trump over the phone while she was waiting for an inauguration concert to begin in Washington. Quade, who volunteered for the campaign, said Trump was the first presidential candidate to speak so openly about the borders.

“What drew me to Trump so much is he is so pro-American,” she said.

Smith also volunteers for the GOP. As she talked with voters, she noticed many were voting for the first time and for Trump. She remembers thinking “wow, what did this man have to offer that I missed?”

“There was no political agenda. He was so outside the usual circles, and that changed my mind a lot,” Smith said.

Smith, who is anti-abortion, said Trump's ability to influence the Supreme Court weighed heavily on her mind as she went to the polls.

Smith said Pence told her that Trump’s position changed on abortion and he “really believed abortion was wrong and no one had the right to take the life of an innocent child.” That’s why she thinks Trump deserves a chance, recalling the anxiety she felt when former President Barack Obama took office and then won a second term.

“I didn’t know how in the world we could live through that, but that had to change because he was president of the United States,” Smith said, calling the demonstrations against Trump disappointing. “We had to suck it up. I didn’t get my way, but I didn’t go out and protest.”

Women concerned about a Trump presidency should look at the way he treats his wife and daughters, and the prominent positions of women in his political life and business dealings, Smith said.

At the end of his presidency, she expects people to say, “Wow, this was the best thing that ever happened to women.”

IndyStar reporter Tony Cook contributed to this story.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea. 

Karen Pence focuses on moving family forward amid hoopla

Live: Scenes from Trump-Pence Inauguration Day