Donald Trump will lose the popular vote by a margin likely to exceed one million. But thanks to the Electoral College, that didn’t stop him from becoming president-elect.
On Tuesday morning, Trump sung the praises of the Electoral College — an institution that historically has empowered rural white voters, thereby creating a path to victory for presidential candidates, like Trump, who aren’t popular in large cities.
If the election were based on total popular vote I would have campaigned in N.Y. Florida and California and won even bigger and more easily
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2016
The Electoral College is actually genius in that it brings all states, including the smaller ones, into play. Campaigning is much different!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2016
Trump’s tweets represent a stunning flip-flop from four years ago, when he characterized the Electoral College as “a disaster for democracy” following Mitt Romney’s loss to President Obama.
The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
Despite the fact that Romney soundly lost both the popular and electoral votes, Trump called on Romney supporters to “march on Washington and stop this travesty” during his infamous Election Night 2012 tweetstorm. But as people across the country have taken to the streets over the past week to protest his victory over Hillary Clinton, Trump has flip-flipped on that issue as well.
Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2016
Since the end of the 19th century, the only two presidential candidates to win an election despite losing the popular vote were Republicans — Trump this year and George W. Bush in 2000. Al Gore’s 543,895-vote margin of victory over Bush will end up being roughly half as large as Clinton’s margin over Trump.