Not every Republican leader is in favor of Donald Trump’s reelection, and George W. Bush is reportedly one of them.
Bush will not support Trump’s second run for office, according to sources close to the former president, The New York Times reports. The publication writes that Bush won’t vote for Trump to be reelected, and his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, “isn't sure how he'll vote.”
The Times also highlights other prominent members of the Republican Party who aren’t towing the party line, with Bush being the only high-profile Texas politician that’s mentioned. Freddy Ford, a spokesman for Bush, told The Texas Tribune that Bush wouldn’t publicly address his presidential vote.
However, it isn’t certain that Bush will opt to vote for Joe Biden either. The Bush brothers and their parents, former President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, said they didn’t vote for Trump in 2016. Yet, Trump endorsed Jeb’s son, George P. Bush, for reelection as Texas Land Commissioner in 2018.
The Times also says that U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney won’t support the president, and neither will Cindy McCain, widow of U.S. Sen. John McCain. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell also will not support Trump’s reelection. “He lies...and he gets away with it because people won’t hold him accountable,” Powell said on CNN.
Instead, Powell said he’s going to vote for Biden: “I cannot in ANY way support President Trump this year.”
Trump caught wind of Powell's comments and responded on Twitter by calling him "a real stiff" and bringing up the Iraq War.
Colin Powell, a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars, just announced he will be voting for another stiff, Sleepy Joe Biden. Didn’t Powell say that Iraq had “weapons of mass destruction?” They didn’t, but off we went to WAR!
As more individuals drop off the list of support for Trump's reelection, it appears military leaders have dissented as well. William McRaven, the former University of Texas System chancellor and retired Navy admiral, has been openly critical of Trump before. “President Trump has shown he doesn’t have the qualities necessary to be a good commander in chief,” he told The Times.
“As we have struggled with the COVID pandemic and horrible acts of racism and injustice, this president has shown none of those qualities,” he added. “The country needs to move forward without him at the helm.”
