Following the death of conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, Republican nominee Donald J. Trump remarked that Schlafly’s “legacy will live on in the movement she led and the millions she inspired.” The 92 year-old grassroots heroine and “sweetheart of the silent majority” was pivotal to securing Trump the Republican nomination.
As one of Trump’s earliest and most influential endorsements, Schlafly threw her political weight behind the populist billionaire– describing Trump as the “only hope to defeat the kingmakers,” (i.e. a select group of cosmopolitan elites who control the political system to elect candidates who will represent their donor class agenda). The “godmother of the conservative movement” told her conservative followers that Trump “represents everything the grassroots want,” pointing specifically to his signature America first platform on trade and immigration.
Trump issued the statement below following Schlafly’s death:
“Phyllis Schlafly is a conservative icon who led millions to action, reshaped the conservative movement, and fearlessly battled globalism and the ‘kingmakers’ on behalf of America’s workers and families. I was honored to spend time with her during this campaign as she waged one more great battle for national sovereignty. I was able to speak with her by phone only a few weeks ago, and she sounded as resilient as ever. Our deepest prayers go out to her family and all her loved ones. She was a patriot, a champion for women, and a symbol of strength. She fought every day right to the end for America First. Her legacy will live on in the movement she led and the millions she inspired.”