For the independent voter uncertain of their preference in the upcoming Presidential election, many will be fundamentally uninterested, but uneasily aware that, to be a good citizen of the United States, they should vote in the election. But, of course, for whom?
To this voter, I offer an easily understood metric by which to measure Mr. Trump. The metric? What do the best people who have associated with him think of him?
Well, we can ask his hometown of Manhattan. How did Mr. Trump do in Manhattan in the Presidential election of 2016?
A seventy point loss speaks volumes, doesn’t it? In 2020, Trump made up ground, but still lost by 30 points or so.
OK, so how about the folks who has worked for him? His Chief of Staff & General John F. Kelly (US Marines-retired) would certainly seem close to him:
“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women,” Kelly continued. “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. [CNN/Politics]
Kelly doesn’t much care for him, both personally and professionally.
How about Cassidy Hutchinson, assistant to Mr. Trump’s final Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows?
“I think that Donald Trump is the most grave threat we will face to our democracy in our lifetime, and potentially in American history,” Hutchinson told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview Tuesday. [CNN/Politics]
That from a dedicated conservative.
In order to cover most of his other White House officials who had close contact:
No other presidential candidate in history has had so many detractors from his inner circle. His former secretary of defense, Mark Esper, told CNN in November 2022, “I think he’s unfit for office. … He puts himself before country. His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.” [CNN/Politics]
There’s another group that has close contact with Mr. Trump, and that’s his lawyers. What do they think of him?
Donald Trump lost three of his lawyers in one day when attorney Joe Tacopina filed a declaration requesting the withdrawal of his firm’s representation of the former president in multiple lawsuits. [Newsweek]
This is not an isolated incident; it is, in fact, part of a long line, and inadvertent standing joke, of lawyers who worked for Mr. Trump, quit eventually, and regret the association. Whether it’s due to not being paid, or for not obeying their recommendations, or some other reason, they leave. En masse, sometimes. Other names include Ty Cobb and Jenna Ellis.
And, finally, what of his own family? His niece, Mary Trump, has condemned him on multiple occasions. His daughter is not participating in the campaign, nor his son in law, so far as I know. Nor is his wife. Only his adult sons, Eric and Donald, Jr., carry on as his proxies.
And how about those who do not condemn him? Well, sad to say, they tend to be characters who have, independent of their association with Trump, developed awful reputations. Their names include Roger “ratfucker” Stone, father of dirty tricks; Stephen Miller, arrogant anti-migrant fanatic and Trump advisor; Steve Bannon, Internet dirty trickster; Ryan Zinke (R-MT), at the center of many corruption scandals during his time as Secretary of the Interior; etc. There are more, of that I know because I know I’ve forgotten them.
In essence, to my doubtful reader I say this: Those who know Mr. Trump, and understand that an ethical Administration is essential to the efficient running and survival of the American state, speak very, very ill of him. So why should you vote for him?
