According to The Guardian on September 18, some Republicans have recently shifted their support to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, instead of former President Donald Trump. This support comes from a group of former Republican foreign policy and national security officials, expressed in a joint letter.
In the letter, the former officials said the next president would need to be a “principled, serious, and steady” leader. While they disagreed with Ms. Harris on some domestic and foreign policy issues, they said she had the qualities needed to succeed President Joe Biden.
The former officials in the letter also issued strong criticism of Mr. Trump, saying he had caused “chaos in government,” damaged relations with allies, and “prioritized personal interests over the interests of the American people.” They also criticized him for “glorifying our enemies” and undermining national values, including politicizing the military and belittling veterans.
The letter’s signatories include former officials who served under presidents ranging from Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, to Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Among the signatories are prominent figures such as former Defense Secretaries William Cohen and Chuck Hagel, former FBI Director William Webster, and former CIA Director Michael Hayden.
Notably, a number of former officials who worked under President Trump also signed on to support Ms. Harris, including Mark Havey, former special assistant to the president, and Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of homeland security. Several current Republican members of the US Congress also joined this group of supporters.