Article Lead Image

Photo via Michael Vadon / Flickr Remix by Jason Reed

Donald Trump openly criticized the Electoral College in 2012—and now it got him the presidency

How do those flip-flops fit, Trump?

 

Monica Riese

Tech

Posted on Nov 10, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 2:55 pm CDT

Once upon a time, Donald Trump openly despised the very institution that has now secured him the presidency in 2017. And, of course, the proof is on Twitter.

Though Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton edged him out in the popular vote by a percentage point, Trump won with at least 279 electoral votes. (This marks the fifth such time this circumstance has occurred in a presidential election.) The Electoral College was established as a way of trying to avoid potential corruption by voters, but it’s been widely criticized by state leaders, citizens, electors themselves, and even Donald Trump:

It’s not the first time Trump’s Twitter timeline has come back to haunt him, by any means: The New York Times published a complete catalog of his hurled insults from throughout the campaign, a 2013 tweet calling Vladimir Putin a “new best friend” went viral in October, and many pointed to a 2012 tweet after Trump denied claiming the Chinese invented climate change in a debate.

Stay tuned to see if he does anything about the institution before 2020.

Share this article
*First Published: Nov 10, 2016, 1:52 pm CST