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How Conservative Evangelism in Politics Led to Trump’s Victory in the 2016 Presidential Election Emily Hench
T
he 2016 Presidential election season proved itself to be quite the roller coaster ride. The two candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have gone head to head on multiple occasions, both within debates as well as outside them. Scandals, callouts, and constant back-and-forth arguments on social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook have allowed no shortage of news stories and clickbait headlines. Although I was unable to vote in this election, I consider this to be the first presidential election of which I was politically conscious, as well as the first in which I actively sought out discussion concerning this topic. Particularly, I have often thought about the Republican Party nominee, now President Donald Trump. Ever since that fateful day in June 2015, the entire world has witnessed as a wealthy reality star with no prior political experience and a less-than-clean moral ledger has gained enough support not only to receive the Republican nomination, but actually to win the race for the presidency. By no means are Republicans hesitant about his nomination after what normally would have been a close race in the primaries. Widespread support of Trump by Conservative Evangelicals swept the nation after he announced his run for president, and many of these supporters are easily distinguished from the average republican. I wonder, however, if the “average Republican” exists. One would require a definition of this term, which might well be divided into sections, with fiscal conservatives in the north at least initially separated from the social (if not racial) interests of those in the south. This division can no doubt be argued. Trump supporters are often characterized as radical, uneducated Republicans who have thrown their support behind the man who “says it like it is.” I have often found myself asking a simple, yet exponentially complicated question: Why has Trump, despite his extremely radical and occasionally unconstitutional views, gained so much support? I have constantly tried to understand how Trump’s ideals could have possibly lined up with the likes of Evangelical Christians. The term “evangelical” in particular has been thrown around by articles and news stories to describe the set of far-right Conservatives whose main reasons for supporting a candidate often have ties back to the stereotypical “God and guns” mentality. Yet the same word is used to describe an entire section of Christianity. Although I do think it is unfair that this word is used so loosely, especially North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
during this most recent political season, I also believe that the recent utilization of the term in a derogatory manner is an interesting matter. For starters, as with any term that is adapted to a particular group, it is partial: obviously only the loud, far-right side of the spectrum is associated with the term. However, the appropriation of the word “evangelical” in this radicalized form has disclosed countless divides within the Evangelical community. Mainly, these conflicts seem to be over social ideals and political views, not theology. When I looked into this, I discovered that, in the 1960’s, the Republican Party had taken a sharp turn to the right, with an increased influx of active Christian voters into the party, mainly caused by major members of the Conservative party beginning to pander towards Christians in order to win elections. This has led me to conclude that the increased pandering of the Conservative Party towards Evangelical Christians in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s has led to the continuing exploitation of Evangelicals and their beliefs as a means to gain political power, as well as directly causing Donald Trump’s success in the 2016 election. The term “Evangelical” is one that has been heard many times throughout the 2016 election season. Most often, it is used to describe members of the Republican Party whose political views are derived from a particular segment of the Christian faith. “Those who identify themselves as “bornagain or evangelical” Christians constitute a sizable share of the electorate – 36% of registered voters, compared with 37% who are non-evangelical Christians and 27% who identify with non-Christian faiths or with no religion at all. In addition, evangelicals are much more numerous within the Republican Party than among Democrats” (“Exit” 6). The term “evangelical” has recently been used as derogatory term rather than a merely descriptive one. However, the word in this context cannot be applied to all who identify as an Evangelical, as it still has its roots, as well as its origin, in Christianity. The Evangelical denomination has origins dating back to the 18th century. “In general throughout the 18th and on to the 19th century, the whole of the English-speaking world is moving away from traditional religion defined by respect for authority, respect for the past, respect for the tradition, and moving toward a more individualistic, pragmatic, and practical practice of Christianity” (16). The lack of a religious entity with direct ties to the state and federal governments in the US allowed for the Evangelical move-
