Those who served Trump are rejecting him

The question Donald Trump’s supporters must ask themselves is how they reconcile their support for him against the damming testimonies coming from those who served him and know him best. The list includes top military advisers, lawyers, economic advisers, some members of his Cabinet, press officials, and campaign aides.

John Kelly, a retired four-star general who served as his chief of staff, criticized Trump as having a “contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution and the rule of law.” Trump, he said, is “[A] person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me’ … and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.”

Former defense secretary Mark Esper said Trump is not “fit for office because he puts himself first, and I think anybody running for office should put the country first.”

Former White House counsel Ty Cobb claimed, “He never cared about America, its citizens, its future or anything but himself … In fact, as history will show from his divisive lies, as well as from his unrestrained contempt for the rule of law and his related crimes, his conduct and mere existence have hastened the demise of democracy and of the nation.”

These assessments come from conservative Republicans who know the man intimately. Ignoring them risks turning our democracy into an autocracy governed by a lawless and vengeful leader.

Thomas Hill

Cedar Falls