How Donald Trump has changed the way Americans date
OKCupid saw 50% jump last year in users who wanted to know the political opinions of possible lovers.
Two hours of drinks and dinner between Philadelphian Bryan Leib and his date had gone well, until she asked the killer question – who did you vote for in last year's presidential election?
Leib, the treasurer of the Philadelphia Young Republicans, put his cards on the table: Donald Trump.
Leib continued: "She stopped in her tracks and said, 'You know what, Bryan? This has been a lot of fun, but I think we're two completely different people. And she literally got up and left."
And that was the abrupt end to his date at Nineteen, a roof-top diner at The Bellevue hotel in the centre of the Pennsylvanian city, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Since the election of the divisive Republican leader just over a year ago, issues such immigration and healthcare have become touchstone topics. But increasingly, views on these concerns are affecting who Americans want to spend the night with.
Steve Ward, the chief executive of US dating firm Master Matchmakers, said dating has become "much more polarised" since last year's election.
He said: "There was always a rule that you shouldn't talk about politics on a first date, but now it's almost impossible for people not to express themselves and not know what the other person believes. People on opposite sides at this point have lost the civility of being able to agree to disagree."
Top dating site OKCupid, which has 2.5 million monthly users, said that over the last year it saw a 50% jump in the number of people who marked the question "Do you enjoy discussing politics?", as important to them.
In response the dating app has added 14 new political questions to its profile so users can closer understand the views of the people they are interested in dating.
The questions include: "Do you believe we should 'build a wall?'" and "Do you think the left wing is guilty of perpetrating 'Fake News'?"
OKCupid chief marketing officer Melissa Hobley said: "We're finding that politics are becoming a bigger deal-breaker today. Maybe the most they've been in many years, and certainly since the inception of dating apps."
For Philadelphian Kate Flaherty, who voted for Hillary Clinton last year, a potential dating partner is crucial. In her view Trump is "blatantly racist" and a "misogynist".
She added that the way someone voted in 2016 "is a sign of their morality rather than just their politics. I think you can't deny that's how it is now. And I can't look past that".
