A former GOP congressman who retired earlier this year says President Donald Trump is “psychologically, morally, intellectually, and emotionally unfit for office” and that he will consider voting for a Democrat in 2020.
Dave Trott, who represented suburban Detroit for two terms until he declined to seek reelection last year, made the comments in a letter to The Atlantic and went on to say Congress should remove Trump from office.
“High unemployment, a stagnating economy, and massive debt for a few years are better than alienating the rest of our allies, getting into a nuclear war with Iran, or allowing 10,000 Islamist soldiers to be set free in Syria,” Trott wrote. He was responding to an article published in The Atlantic in September quoting military officers who were critical of Trump.
Trott – who voiced similar criticisms of Trump in a New York Times article published over the weekend – is the latest former Republican office-holder who is publicly criticizing the President only after retiring or losing reelection. Meanwhile, among those who remain in Congress and hope to stay there, Trump retains consistently unified backing, and not one Republican broke ranks to support the Democratic-led impeachment vote last week.
In his interview with the Times, Trott said he would be open to the candidacy of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in next year’s election.
Among the 21 Republican members of Congress who have announced they will not seek reelection next year are a handful of congressmen – including Will Hurd of Texas, Francis Rooney of Florida and John Shimkus of Illinois – who have criticized the President while in office and subsequently announced they will not run to retain their seat.