Many Sanders-loving Millennials are still heartbroken over what they view as an unfair Democratic nomination process. Ninety percent still say they plan to vote for Clinton, which means that Sanders supporters are already more willing to support Clinton than Clinton supporters were to support Obama. But some have resolved to support a third party or to throw up their hands and stay home.
In a two-party system, voting for a third party is akin to throwing away your vote. (Psst...if you really want to support third parties, do so on the local level, where they have a meaningful chance of winning). That means leftist Democrats who once lent their support to Sanders are effectively throwing a vote to Trump. So what would a Trump presidency mean, especially for the Millennials who so strongly support a leftist agenda?
Presidents don't really have the power many of us want to believe. They can't singlehandedly pass legislation. They can't wave a magic wand and fix the economy. Trump's most significant legacy, then, would likely be in the Supreme Court. The next president could get as many as three nominees, effectively stacking the Court for the next three decades. That's where things begin to look very frightening.
An End to Anti-Discrimination Laws
Trump has made it quite clear that he sees sexual harassment as an individual problem. Earlier this week, he said that his daughter was too strong to be sexually harassed. This attitude toward all forms of discrimination—against racial minorities, women, sexual minorities, and every other group except for straight, white men—is a hallmark of mainstream conservatism. Most Republicans oppose equal pay and anti-discrimination measures. Trump will likely nominate justices who would weaken or even eliminate virtually every anti-discrimination law. And there would certainly be no progress on equal pay for equal work.
Kiss Choice Goodbye
Overturning Roe v. Wade has been a cornerstone of the Republican platform for decades. A Republican court might be able to do just that. Numerous abortion cases are already in front of lower courts. If any of these made their way to the Supreme Court, choice could become a thing of the past.
Abortion is currently a Constitutional right, which means no president can ban it. If the Court removes that right, though, it would be a free-for-all on women who seek abortions. Trump has already said that he thinks women should be punished for abortion.
A Rigged Election System
Bernie Sanders gained mass support for campaign finance reform, and for overturning Citizens United, a ruling that gave corporations virtually unlimited power to donate to election campaigns. Conservative justices support this, and if Trump gets to nominate another justice or two, our electoral system might become even more unbalanced.
The Death Knell for Gay Rights
It took a Supreme Court ruling to make gay marriage legal, and Republicans are already desperate to reverse this ruling. A conservative court could weaken gay marriage—by, for example, placing restrictions on when and why gay couples can get married. And if the right case comes before the Court, gay marriage could become a thing of the past.
Prohibiting gay adoption is now part of the official platform of the party that claims to be pro-life. A conservative court very likely would mean that gay people could not adopt children.
Curtailed Voting Rights
Restrictive voting laws that disproportionately target the poor and people of color have been springing up across the nation. Appeals courts are beginning to overturn these laws. Eventually, voter restrictions could wind their way to the Supreme Court. If the Court is packed with conservative justices, voter restrictions will likely remain in effect. States may be emboldened to pass even more draconian measures.
More Police Violence
Horrific shootings of unarmed black men, whose killers often receive no punishment, have led to a massive uprising that promises to promote real change. Police departments are dedicating more resources to community policing, and even some police officers have joined the Black Lives Matter movement. A conservative court is one in which black lives most assuredly do not matter. It's also a court dedicated to eroding fourth amendment rights, imposing extreme mandatory minimums for non-violent drug crimes, and other criminal justice measures that disproportionately affect disenfranchised people.
A conservative court would offer little hope for changing the criminal justice system, and could further inflame tensions between police and communities.
It's sad when your candidate loses. It's frustrating when the winning candidate condescends to you. Millennials have many reasons to be angry. But refusing to vote for Clinton is an act of profound privilege, born of sorely lacking compassion. A Trump presidency would have immediate effects for Millennials, and most especially for Millennials who already face oppression and discrimination.