A group of 100 ex-Republican officials have backed Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, saying Republican nominee Donald Trump is “unfit to serve”.
Signatories to an open letter include officials who have served under former Republican presidents and high-ranking politicians, including President Ronald Reagan, President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain and Senator Mitt Romney.
Calling themselves Alumni for Harris-Walz, the group expressed their support for Kamala Harris, a highly unusual backing of the Democratic nominee coming from Republican officials.
“We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy,” the letter reads, signed by more than 100 Republican “alumni”.
“We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.”
Alumni for Harris-Walz referred to Donald Trump “inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021”, as well as his consistent defence of the mob who stormed the government building, as evidence of the “violating his oath of office” and bringing “danger to our country”.
“We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump,” the letter reads. “As President, 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.
“As former Vice President Pence has said ‘anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States’.”
The group also expressed concern over the Republican nominee’s “susceptibility to flattery and manipulation” from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, claiming he has an “unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders”.
“(Donald Trump’s) contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behaviour, and chaotic national security decision-making are dangerous qualities – as many honourable Republican colleagues and military officers who served in senior national security positions in his administration have frequently testified.
“He is unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.”
The group of Republican officials instead threw their support behind Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who “has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the ideals that define our nation — freedom, democracy, and rule of law”.
The Alumni for Harris-Walz are not the only ones to cross party lines to endorse Kamala Harris: Trump’s former press secretary Stephanie Grisham, his former communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former Virginia representative Barabara Comstock, among others, have all opposed Donald Trump as the next president of the US.
Following Trump’s disastrous performance in his debate against Harris, a YouGov poll for Yahoo news found respondents called Harris as the winner, 56-26. Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls shows Harris currently leads Trump 48.8-46.0.