Trump’s Legacy

Former president continues to leave his mark on country

The last few days have been quite a time for supporters of former President Donald Trump. Thanks to his appointment of three conservative U.S. Supreme Court associate justices, what many of them have spent years hoping for has finally come to pass.

Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were instrumental in three key rulings over the past several days that will reshape the country.

First, in a further clarification of Second Amendment rights, on Thursday the court struck down a New York state law requiring a handgun owner show “proper cause” to carry a concealed weapon in public.

Then on Friday came the real bombshell. The court overturned Roe v. Wade, which means there is no longer a constitutional right to abortion in this country. The legality of abortion is in the hands of the states and several immediately took action to outlaw the procedure in almost all cases. It’s expected about half the states will end up almost completely banning abortion.

And now, on Tuesday, the court sided with a former high school football coach who was placed on leave after he chose to continue his practice of praying after games, despite warnings from the school district that, as an employee, praying on school property at a school function violated the separation of church and state.

In essence the court said the coach was acting as part of school policy and was not “seeking to convey a government-created message.” So his private decision to pray, even on school property, was protected by his First Amendment rights,.

We can discuss the merits of each decision more thoroughly later. Right now, though, we want to look at what this means a couple of years down the road.

We don’t know for sure President Trump will run again in 2024. But we don’t see how he can pass up the chance now. These three rulings — and no doubt there will be more to come — will unite his base even more firmly behind him. With his court appointments, he gave them what no other Republican politician has been able to do, despite so many promises over the years.

Will that be enough to win another term? Maybe, maybe not. But add inflation to the mix and it would be foolish to count him out.

These court decisions are President Trump’s legacy — a more impactful legacy on this country than any resident in a very long time.