WASHINGTON, DC, USA — More than 100 former national security officials from Republican administrations and former Republican members of Congress endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, declaring that Donald Trump is “unfit to serve again as president.”
In a public letter, the group cited concerns over Trump’s behaviour during his time in office, characterising it as a threat to American values and national security.
The signatories, a mix of vocal Trump critics and individuals who had refrained from endorsing Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the 2020 election, expressed alarm over what they described as Trump’s “dangerous qualities.”
DOWNLOAD: 111 Former Republican Official Endorse Kamala Harris in Public Letter (READ)
These qualities, they wrote, include his “unusual affinity” for authoritarian figures like Russian President Vladimir V. Putin and his disregard for “decent, ethical, and lawful behavior.”
“While we might disagree with Kamala Harris on many issues,” the letter said, “Donald Trump’s return to power would be a disaster for the United States.”
The letter underscored numerous actions by Trump that the former officials said disqualified him from serving another term as president.
It pointed to Trump’s attempts to hold onto power after losing the 2020 election, which culminated in the January 6th Capitol riot, as a clear violation of his oath of office.
The letter also quoted former Vice President Mike Pence, who, following the Capitol attack, stated that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
The signatories echoed this sentiment, saying Trump had undermined American democracy, betrayed national values, and prioritised his personal interests above those of the country.
“As president,” the letter read, “he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”
This group’s endorsement of Harris represents a significant shift among certain Republican figures, many of whom had either supported Trump in previous elections or remained neutral in 2020.
Their decision to back a Democratic candidate this time around underscores the deepening divisions within the Republican Party regarding Trump’s leadership.
While the letter stops short of endorsing Harris’s policies, it emphasises that the country cannot afford another four years of Trump.
The letter also sharply criticized Trump’s handling of foreign relations, particularly his warm relations with leaders like Putin.
The group argued that his behaviour had isolated the U.S. from its traditional allies and jeopardized national security by praising adversaries while undermining allies.
This latest endorsement adds to the growing list of Republican defections from Trump as the 2024 election approaches.
In the run-up to the 2020 election, several prominent Republicans, including former members of the George W. Bush administration, similarly endorsed Biden in response to Trump’s handling of the presidency.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking to solidify her support base ahead of the 2024 election, is likely to capitalise on these high-profile Republican endorsements.
Her campaign has emphasised the importance of bipartisan support in the face of what many perceive as a dangerous second Trump term.
Harris’s campaign gains momentum with these new endorsements, even as Trump continues to galvanize his base.
As the election nears, the division between the two factions of the Republican Party—the pro-Trump wing and those opposed to his return to office—appears to be widening.
