There is no end to the failings of president Donald Trump — especially as Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to dig up more scandalous information and make progress on Trump’s investigations. Trump doesn’t help himself, either, as the childish POTUS continuously tries to start wars over Twitter, destroys our alliances, and makes enemies everywhere he goes.
Republicans have usually supported their own, but Trump started a phenomenon in which some of the most die-hard GOPers have had to break from their party. When Trump emerged as the Republican candidate in the 2016 election, we saw conservatives rising up against him like never before — and one of the most prominent figures was former POTUS George W. Bush.
As a matter of fact, the entire Bush family pretty much boycotted Trump. This first came to light when Laura Bush said that she would rather vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton than support any of the Republican candidates after Jeb Bush had dropped out. Comments from the rest of the Bush family echoed this frame of mind, with former President Bush actively dissing Trump at a reunion for his administration in Dallas. He said:
I’m worried that I will be the last Republican president.”
While that statement turned out to be untrue (unfortunately), it’s worth revisiting to demonstrate just how much of a disappointment Trump was back then, and how much worse he’s let the GOP down since he won the election. His hateful rhetoric and mental instability have caused many conservatives to abandon the party altogether, as Trump has turned it into something unrecognizable.
The Bush family weren’t the only conservatives that thought Trump would damage the GOP beyond repair — a good portion of the Republican party was in dismay over this. Politico reported:
In interviews with more than 40 of the Republican Party’s leading strategists, lawmakers, fundraisers and donors, a common thread has emerged heading into the general election: Win or lose in November (and more expect to lose than not), they fear that Trump’s overheated and racialized rhetoric could irreparably poison the GOP brand among the fastest-growing demographic groups in America.”
For someone who said he would work to unify the GOP, Trump failed miserably. Many Republicans are horrified by what’s going to happen in the midterm elections thanks to their unhinged president.
Featured image via screen capture and Charles LeBlanc FlickrÂ
