In a shocking turn of events, Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States early Wednesday morning, defeating his highly favored opponent Hillary Clinton. As we all know, the vacant seat on the Supreme Court heightened the stakes in this election, and may very well have helped Trump secure the victory.
Appealing to Conservatism
Trump said from the very beginning that he was “looking to appoint Judges very much in the mold of Justice Scalia.” That’s a blanket statement, but Trump’s statement here rhetorically worked to appeal to traditional, conservative values. Justice Scalia was very-far right on most issues and fit the typical Republican platform, and this appeal to conservatism may very well have convinced some to vote for him. In fact, an exit poll revealed that the percentage of voters who saw the Supreme Court as the “most important factor” in the election favored Trump over Clinton, 57 to 40 percent.
The Missing Puzzle Piece?
Early polls suggested that only 45 percent of Republican voters were satisfied with Trump as their party’s nominee and with Clinton favored to win all along, it’s only right to assume voters were swayed by alternative factors. The nation seemed shocked upon Trump’s victory; however, the Supreme Court may offer an explanation for this historic turn of events.
I completely agree with your points regarding the influence the Supreme Court had on Trumps election. After the death of Judge Scalia, there has been quite a bit of turmoil regarding a replacement, especially since conservatives refused to consider Obama’s appointee, Merrick Garland. Conservatives wanted to wait until the president was elected to appoint a supreme court justice, and perhaps this was why. They wanted their influence to be the subject of the new member. Overall, great points!