Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bush and Romney won't support Trump in 2020, while some GOP officials consider voting for Biden

Bush and Romney won't support Trump in 2020, while some GOP officials consider voting for Biden

Some top Republicans are getting cold feet about President Trump's leadership, and others are even considering voting for Joe Biden.
President Donald Trump may be losing the support of members of his own party already, with some GOP officials considering a vote for Joe Biden.

Sooner than expected, growing numbers of big Republican names are debating how transparent to be about their decision not to back his re-election, or may even vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.

According to The New York Times, Former President George W. Bush and Senator Mitt Romney won't support Trump's re-election, Jeb Bush isn't sure how he'll vote, and Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, is almost certain to support Biden but is "unsure how public to be about it because one of her sons is eying a run for office."

Former Republican leaders like the former Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner are still tight-lipped about who they'll vote for, and some Republicans are reportedly weighing their options between backing a third-party contender or openly endorsing Biden, risking the ire of Trump. Some say they'd possibly prefer a Biden victory if the GOP managed to preserve its Senate majority.

Dissenters are reportedly feeling a renewed urgency due to Trump's incendiary response to the protests against police brutality and a mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to anonymous sources. Retired military leaders, typically private about their personal political views, have grown increasingly vocal about unease with the president's leadership, but are still undecided about embracing an opponent.

Those considering Biden include unlikely surprises — including Rep. Francis Rooney of Florida, who has donated millions of dollars to Republican candidates over the years and served as President Bush's ambassador to the Vatican. Rooney reportedly hasn't voted for a Democrat in decades. But, according to The Times, Rooney is considering supporting Biden, "in part because Trump is 'driving us all crazy' and his handling of the virus led to a death toll that 'didn't have to happen.'"

Eighty-nine former defense officials said they were "alarmed" by Trump's threat to use the military to end unrest, and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued an intense rebuke of Trump, saying he's turning Americans against each other during nationwide protests. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has also said that she is "struggling" with whether to vote for Trump.

"This fall, it's time for new leadership in this country — Republican, Democrat or independent," William McRaven, the retired Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, was quoted saying. "President Trump has shown he doesn't have the qualities necessary to be a good commander in chief."

While many of the big names mentioned by The Times did not vote for Trump in 2016, the lack of support is more meaningful when it concerns an incumbent president and his shared agenda with Senate leaders than when no ongoing conservative agenda would be affected.

But, The Times notes that polls today indicate Republicans generally are behind the president, and far more GOP elected officials are publicly backing Trump than did four years ago, including steadfast supporters such as Republican leaders like Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, and Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Lindsey Graham.

John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff and a retired Marine general, wouldn't disclose who had his vote, but he did say that he wished "we had some additional choices."

And while some Republicans are unlikely to go public, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware (one of Biden's closest allies in Congress) has become an emissary of sorts to Republican lawmakers. According to Coons, a number of GOP senators, regardless of what they say in public, won't vote for Trump in privacy.

"What he's always been is not scary," Rooney was quoted as saying. "A lot of people that voted for President Trump did so because they did not like Hillary Clinton. I don't see that happening with Joe Biden — how can you not like Joe Biden?"
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×