Have to say I disagree with the NYTimes article.
Barack Obama was elected to the White House because of identity politics - everyone thought how great it would be for America to have its first 'black' president (strictly speaking, Obama isn't black, he's mixed race). Obviously lots of people of colour bought into it but so did many white liberals.
And now after two terms in power, we find out that Obama didn't do particularly good - he's just as inadequate as your common-or-garden white Prez.
People have had enough of ideals and milestones and might want a change, someone who doesn't care for political correctness and just wants to get on with it. It seems a verbally-incontinent lunatic called Trump has recognised this.
Clearly lots of Trump supporters are racist bigots but I think many perhaps aren't. It seems that there are big problems lurking underneath American society.