ABSTRACT
The chapter looks at the 2016 presidential election from the context of the ongoing morality war. Despite having any long-term relationship with the Republican Party, Donald Trump successfully articulated the moral values of largely white Christian Republicans. These voters wanted the country to return to an era when political parties found themselves forced to address their concerns and interests and embraced their conservative social and cultural values. To many outside observes, Donald Trump seemed the least likely candidate to gain the support of this segment of the electorate. His long history of supporting progressive causes and his personal lifestyle choices seemed to disqualify him as a standard bearer as Christian, social and cultural conservatives. Yet, Trump demonstrated an ability to articulate the perceived grievances of this group of voters than other Republican presidential candidates. To these voters, the message proved much more important than the messenger. After a brutal primary contest with independent Bernie Sanders, Clinton managed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. Democratic voters largely ignored ethical issues related to Clinton’s use of a non-government server to archive her e-mails while Clinton served as Secretary of State. Clinton went on to win the popular vote by over three million voters. Trump managed to win the presidency by winning several key battleground states. Trump’s and Clinton’s moral liabilities had little impact on their support from their respective coalitions.
