Shaking Trump... Former Secretary of State Powell Expresses Support for Biden

Former President George W. Bush Likely Won't Support Trump
Growing Concerns Within Republican Anti-Trump Faction

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The anti-Trump faction within the Republican Party is showing unusual movements. Following former Secretary of State Colin Powell's open declaration of support for former Vice President Joe Biden, reports have emerged that former President George W. Bush will not vote for Trump.

On the 7th (local time), former Secretary Powell appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and stated, "I definitely cannot support President Trump."

Powell served as National Security Advisor in the Ronald Reagan administration, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush (Senior Bush), and Secretary of State during the George W. Bush (Junior Bush) administration. His opposition is being interpreted as a trigger for the anti-Trump faction within the Republican Party to start moving in earnest.

He said, "I am very close to Joe Biden on social and political issues," adding, "I have worked with him for 35 to 40 years. He is now the (Democratic) candidate, and I will vote for him." He continued, "I did not vote for him (President Trump) in 2016 either. After listening to what he said, it became clear that I could not vote for this person," and criticized, "The situation has worsened since (Trump's election)." Former Secretary Powell has previously supported former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in past elections.

Former Secretary Powell criticized, "We have a constitution, and we must abide by it," adding, "The president has deviated from the constitution." He also expressed agreement, saying, "I am proud of what the military personnel who publicly criticized President Trump's response to recent protests have done."

Powell's remarks are adding to the impact alongside the New York Times (NYT) report that former President Bush will not support President Trump.

The NYT reported that although there was anti-Trump sentiment within the Republican Party during the 2016 election, this year, much earlier and with a larger number of prominent Republicans, discussions are underway about whether to not support Trump's re-election or to support Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden.

A representative example is former President George Bush. The NYT, citing multiple sources, reported that President Bush will not support President Trump. However, it is known that President Bush has not yet decided whether to support Biden.

The NYT also reported that Senator Mitt Romney, a leading anti-Trump figure within the Republican Party, will not express support for Trump. Despite being a member of the ruling party, Senator Romney supported the impeachment of President Trump and continues his anti-Trump stance by attending peaceful protests against the death of George Floyd. Former House Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner are also known to be considering their support for Trump.

President Trump retaliated against Powell's remarks via Twitter. He said, "Colin Powell, who is truly incompetent and very responsible for dragging us into a disastrous Middle East war, just announced he will vote for another incompetent, Sleepy Joe Biden," adding, "Did Powell not say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD)? They did not. But we went to war," openly criticizing the war hero. President Trump also described former Secretary Powell as "highly overrated" on this day. He used similar expressions after dismissing former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.