On Monday, a gaggle of over 200 former Republican officers endorsed Kamala Harris for president. These officers—who labored for the late Sen. John McCain, Sen. Mitt Romney, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush—symbolize the final three Republican administrations and the 2 Republican presidential candidates earlier than Trump.
All of them share a single message: “[R]e-electing President Trump would be a disaster for our nation.”
May Trump compile over 200 Democratic officers of the same rank who assist his candidacy? It’s not clear if he’d discover that many supporters even amongst those that served in his administration. Both means, the assist that Harris and her operating mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are getting from Republicans ought to be a giant pink flag to Trump and his supporters.
Becoming a member of the officers endorsing Harris is retired four-star Basic Larry Ellis, who served because the commander of the U.S. Military Forces Command underneath George W. Bush. That is the primary time he has endorsed a candidate for president.
“Donald Trump has demonstrated that he’s wholly and dangerously unfit for Commander-in-Chief,” Ellis wrote in his endorsement of Harris. “He praises and emboldens our enemies that seek to weaken our country. He has denigrated our brave men and women in uniform.”
The mass endorsement follows the looks of former Republican officers throughout all 4 nights of final week’s Democratic Nationwide Conference. At the least seven Republicans appeared on the DNC stage, together with former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, former Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and former Trump White Home press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Their endorsement of Harris doesn’t come as a result of these Republicans have all of the sudden adopted Democratic coverage positions. Because the letter from the previous officers states, they’ve “plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz.” However these officers are placing occasion apart to endorse Harris as a result of they acknowledge the magnitude of Trump’s risk to American democracy.
Even earlier than the DNC, many essential GOP figures have been notably lacking from the Republican Nationwide Conference.
Former Democratic Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Invoice Clinton all spoke on the DNC. Nonetheless, former Republican President George W. Bush didn’t seem on the RNC. Neither did members of his household, or the households of latest candidates.
Trump’s former vice chairman was not on the RNC and refuses to endorse him. It is a lengthy checklist of former Trump administration officers who’ve scorned the thought of him returning to energy.
Regardless of the best way some Republicans wish to spin this, these endorsing Harris aren’t all junior clerks from some obscure company. They’re chiefs of workers, press secretaries, legislative administrators, marketing campaign chairs, and high advisors. They’re high-ranking company officers, U.S. attorneys, and a former director of the Nationwide Safety Council.
These are individuals who labored intently with former Republican presidents and previous candidates, all lining as much as say that Trump isn’t worthy of the workplace.
We’re heartfully calling on these buddies, colleagues, neighbors, and members of the family to take a courageous stand as soon as extra, to vote for leaders that may try for consensus, not chaos; that may work to unite, not divide; that may make our nation and our youngsters proud. These leaders are Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
Within the meantime, Trump can’t muster the endorsement of his former vice chairman, protection secretary, chief of workers, White Home nationwide safety adviser, Homeland Safety adviser, or White Home communications director. These are individuals who labored immediately with Trump. They noticed how he behaved in workplace and understand how he handled the accountability of being behind the Resolute desk. They don’t seem to be supporting his try to return to that workplace.
Republicans can attempt all they need, however the a whole lot of lifelong Republican officers lining up behind Harris, in addition to the lengthy checklist of Trump officers who don’t wish to see him return, shouldn’t be one thing that may be simply waved away. Neither can the “Republicans for Harris” teams which might be showing and gaining steam in swing states.
What’s taking place isn’t a giant shift to the left by Republicans; it’s a broad recognition by these linked to previous Republican administrations, and to many registered Republicans at present, that Trump shouldn’t be a continuation of the occasion of Abraham Lincoln. He doesn’t symbolize their considerations or their rules.
Recognition of the risk Trump poses to America goes past Democrats.
Trump supporters might smear these officers as RINOS, or Republicans in identify solely. They’ve additionally wielded that time period towards a Republican speaker of the Home, previous Republican candidates for president, and Republican presidents. It’s been thrown at Republicans as laborious proper as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—in different phrases, anybody seen as probably disagreeing with Trump.
But when such an awesome variety of Republicans are RINOs … then who’s the actual Republican in identify solely?
