Some conservative were baffled when Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the modern pro-family movement, became one of the first true movement conservatives to endorse Donald Trump at a rally in Saint Louis, Missouri on March 11, 2016. From the self-publication of her groundbreaking book A Choice Not An Echo in 1964, Phyllis Schlafly was a pioneer in backing strong conservative candidates, particularly for the Republican nomination for the presidency. Almost no conservative with clout like Phyllis had dared to throw their weight behind a billionaire named Donald Trump. However, Phyllis knew something they didn’t.
Phyllis met privately with Trump before the endorsement rally. He personally promised her that he would support the conservative Republican Party Platform. To Phyllis, that was everything. As someone deeply involved in every Republican National Convention from 1952 to 2016, she had carefully worked for decades to keep the Platform conservative. She was the delegate who introduced the first pro-life language into the Platform. In her mind, the Platform was the voice of conservative grassroots activists throughout the nation. When Donald Trump promised to follow it, she believed he would honor that promise.
From cutting taxes and cutting regulation to promoting the Constitution and promoting American exceptionalism, Donald Trump has consistently kept his commitment to honor the conservative values embodied in the Republican Party Platform. Never Trumpers claimed Trump was a liberal in disguise, but he has done more to codify the conservative values of the Platform than any other president in modern history. Phyllis was right to trust Trump just like she was right to fight for a conservative platform. If the platform does not stay conservative, Americans have no real choice between Republican and Democrat. All they will get is an echo of the other party.
Thankfully, the 2016 Republican Platform Phyllis crafted was the most conservative platform in the party’s history. Now the Republican Party has chosen to keep the 2016 Schlafly Platform for another four years. If history is any indication, conservatives can be confident a reelected President Trump will continue to fight for the values their conservative platform proclaims.
