LIFELONG Republican David Goss, 35, was hanging out with his conservative friends in February when he came up with the idea of TrumpSingles.com, a dating web site for supporters of the presumptive Republican nominee.

Mr Goss’ female pal, who’s a diehard Trump fan, told him that when she revealed her political leanings to a male Hillary Clinton supporter in the middle of a dinner date, he got up and left her with the check, reports the New York Post.

“I think there’s a special stigma when people say they’re supporting Trump, because of some of the brash things that he’s said,” Mr Goss, an associate TV producer based in Santa Clarita, California, tells the New York Post. “That immediately gets [projected] on his supporters, and it makes it hard for them when trying to date.”

More than 500 Trump fans have joined since TrumpSingles went live in May. Goss says most of his users are from New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Like most online dating services, users can search matches by age, location and interests. While it’s free to sign up, users can only send one message a day unless they cough up a $4.95 monthly subscription.

“At first I was concerned that people would think this was a parody site,” says Mr Goss, whose wife, Tonya, is also pro-Trump. “But people have told me that they’re so happy they can finally go on dates without worrying about political differences.”

TrumpSingles user and libertarian Richard, who asked that his last name not be used for privacy reasons, agrees.

“Trump is bastardised and demonised in the media, so I kind of keep to myself that I’m a Trump supporter because people can have a violent reaction to it,” said Richard, a 27-year-old retail associate from Oxnard, California.

“It’s hard for me sometimes to meet new people.”

The Trump fan, who recently got out of a four-year relationship with a liberal woman, says political differences were a big factor in their breakup.

“In my next relationship, I’m looking for a woman who shares my values,” he says.

Amber Williams, a 34-year-old paralegal based in LA, says she signed up for the site because most of the guys in her area are Bernie Sanders supporters.

“I hate bringing up political views on a first date, since my friends have gotten in political arguments on their dates,” says Ms Williams, who’s planning to meet a fellow Trump supporter she matched with who’s based in San Diego.

Dating expert Kim Samuels, a Hillary Clinton fan from LA, says that establishing deal breakers early on in a relationship is important.

“I thought this site was a joke, but I get that everybody needs somebody, and relationships can be hard if both parties have widely different political views,” says Ms Samuels, the 57-year-old author of “He’s Just NOT: Dating Deal Breakers.”

Founder Mr Goss plans to roll out a TrumpSingles mobile app in the next week.

“We’re not a hook-up service,” he says. “We want to be an actual real dating site that helps people find real love.”

This story first appeared in the New York Post.