We are profoundly
concerned about our nation’s security and standing in the world under the
leadership of Donald Trump. The president has demonstrated that he is
dangerously unfit to serve another term.
We are former national
security officials who served during the administrations of Presidents Ronald
Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and/or Donald Trump, or as Republican
Members of Congress. We are profoundly concerned about the course of our nation
under the leadership of Donald Trump. Through his actions and his rhetoric,
Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the character and competence to lead this
nation and has engaged in corrupt behavior that renders him unfit to serve as
President.
For the following
reasons, we have concluded that Donald Trump has failed our country and that
Vice President Joe Biden should be elected the next President of the United
States.
1.
Donald Trump has
gravely damaged America’s role as a world leader. Trump has disgraced
America’s global reputation and undermined our nation’s moral and diplomatic
influence. He has called NATO “obsolete,” branded Europe a “foe,” mocked the
leaders of America’s closest friends, and threatened to terminate longstanding
US alliances. Other global leaders, friends and foes alike, view him as
unreliable, unstable, and unworthy of respect.
2.
Donald Trump has
shown that he is unfit to lead during a national crisis. Instead of
rallying the American people and the world to confront the coronavirus, Trump
has spent the past half year spreading misinformation, undermining public
health experts, attacking state and local officials, and wallowing in
self-pity. He has demonstrated far greater concern about the fate of his
reelection than the health of the American people.
3.
Donald
Trump has solicited foreign influence and undermined confidence in our
presidential elections.
Trump publicly asked Russian president Vladimir Putin to assist his 2016
campaign, called on Chinese president Xi Jinping to “start an investigation”
into his current political opponent, and pressured the president of Ukraine to
act against his opponent. Citing exaggerated claims of voter fraud, he has
challenged the integrity of this year’s election, even suggesting that it be postponed.
4.
Donald
Trump has aligned himself with dictators and failed to stand up for American
values. Trump has regularly
praised the actions of dictators and human rights abusers. He proclaimed his
“love” and “great respect” for North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un, endorsed
“brilliant leader” Xi Jinping’s move to serve as China’s president for life,
repeatedly sided with Vladimir Putin against our own intelligence community,
and pronounced himself a “big fan” of Turkish president Recep Erdogan despite
his crackdown on democracy.
5.
Donald
Trump has disparaged our armed forces, intelligence agencies, and diplomats. Trump has attacked Gold Star families,
scoffed at American prisoners of war, interfered in the military justice
system, and embroiled our military in domestic politics. He has ridiculed US
intelligence agencies and falsely branded our nation’s diplomats as the “deep
state.”
6.
Donald
Trump has undermined the rule of law. Trump has compromised the independence of the Department of
Justice, repeatedly attacked federal judges, and punished government officials
who have sought to uphold the law. To protect himself from accountability, he
has fired officials who launched investigations or testified against him,
threatened whistleblowers, dangled pardons as incentives to stay silent, and
blocked prison time for a political crony convicted of lying on his behalf. He
has impugned journalists investigating his misconduct and has repeatedly
denounced the press as the “enemy of the people.”
7.
Donald
Trump has dishonored the office of the presidency. Trump engages in childish name-calling,
mocks the disabled, belittles women, persistently lies, peddles baseless
conspiracy theories, and continually embarrasses Americans in the eyes of the
world.
8.
Donald
Trump has divided our nation and preached a dark and pessimistic view of
America. Trump consistently
seeks to incite political, racial, and ethnic divisions, weakening our nation
and delighting our adversaries. In contrast to Reagan’s vision of America as a
“shining city on a hill,” Trump speaks of “American carnage,” pits Americans
against each other, and stokes fears that “angry mobs” and “anarchists” are
destroying our country.
9.
Donald
Trump has attacked and vilified immigrants to our country. Trump routinely denigrates immigrants and
inflames prejudices as he seeks support for his reelection. Despite America’s
legacy as a nation of immigrants, he has demonized Americans who come from
other countries, even telling members of Congress whose families immigrated to
the United States to “go back” to the “crime-infested places” from which they
came.
10.
Donald
Trump has imperiled America’s security by mismanaging his national security
team. Trump has dismissed
or replaced — often by tweet — the secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland
Security, the Attorney General, the Directors of National Intelligence and the
FBI, three National Security Advisors, and other senior officials in critical
national security positions, many because they refused to cover for his
misdeeds or demonstrate sufficient personal loyalty.
While we – like all
Americans – had hoped that Donald Trump would govern wisely, he has
disappointed millions of voters who put their faith in him and has demonstrated
that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term.
In contrast, we
believe Joe Biden has the character, experience, and temperament to lead this
nation. We believe he will restore the dignity of the presidency, bring
Americans together, reassert America’s role as a global leader, and inspire our
nation to live up to its ideals.
While some of us hold
policy positions that differ from those of Joe Biden and his party, the time to
debate those policy differences will come later. For now, it is imperative that
we stop Trump’s assault on our nation’s values and institutions and reinstate
the moral foundations of our democracy.
To that end, we are
firmly convinced that it is in the best interest of our nation that Vice
President Joe Biden be elected as the next President of the United States, and
we will vote for him.
- Adm. Steve AbbotFmr Dep Homeland Security Advisor
- Mary Catherine AndrewsFmr Special Asst to the President
- Richard ArmitageFmr Deputy Secretary of State
- Christopher BartonFmr Director, NSC Staff
- John BellingerFmr Legal Adviser, Dept of State
- Adm. Kenneth BernardFmr Special Asst to the President
- Amb. Robert BlackwillFmr Deputy National Security Advisor
- Linton BrooksFmr Under Secretary of Energy
- Kara BueFmr Dep Asst Secretary of State
- Amb. Richard BurtFmr US Ambassador to Germany
- Victor ChaFmr Director, NSC Staff
- Thomas ChristensenFmr Dep Asst Secretary of State
- Eliot CohenFmr Counselor of the Dept of State
- Joseph CollinsFmr Dep Asst Secretary of Defense
- Heather ConleyFmr Dep Asst Secretary of State
- Chester CrockerFmr Asst Secretary of State
- Patrick CroninFmr Asst Administrator, USAID
- Amb. Sada CumberFmr US Special Envoy to the OIC
- Mike DonleyFmr Secretary of the Air Force
- Raymond DuBoisFmr Acting Under Secretary of the Army
- Amb. Eric EdelmanFmr Under Secretary of Defense
- Gary EdsonFmr Deputy National Security Advisor
- Richard FalkenrathFmr Dep Asst to the President
- Aaron FriedbergFmr Dep Asst to the Vice President
- Janice GardnerFmr Asst Secretary of the Treasury
- Amb. James GlassmanFmr Under Secretary of State
- David GordonFmr Director, State Dept, Policy Planning
- Colleen GraffyFmr Dep Asst Secretary of State
- Michael GreenFmr Senior Director, NSC Staff
- Sen. Chuck HagelFmr Secretary of Defense and US Senator
- Gen. Michael HaydenFmr Director of the CIA and the NSA
- Amb. Carla HillsFmr US Trade Representative
- Ash JainFmr Member, State Dept Policy Planning
- James KellyFmr Asst Secretary of State
- Rep. Jim KolbeFmr Member of Congress
- David KramerFmr Asst Secretary of State
- Stephen KrasnerFmr Director, State Dept Policy Planning
- Ken KriegFmr Under Secretary of Defense
- Amb. Frank LavinFmr Under Secretary of Commerce
- Rep. Jim LeachFmr Member of Congress
- Bruce LemkinFmr Dep Under Secretary of the Air Force
- Michael LeiterFmr Director, National Counterterrorism Ctr
- Peter LichtenbaumFmr Asst Secretary of Commerce
- James LoyFmr Dep Secretary of Homeland Security
- Peter MadiganFmr Dep Asst Secretary State
- Bryan McGrathFormer US Navy Officer
- David MerkelFmr Dep Asst Secretary of State
- John MitnickFmr General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security
- Holly MorrowFmr Director, NSC Staff
- Amb. John NegroponteFmr Director of National Intelligence, and Fmr Deputy Secretary of State
- Elizabeth NeumannFmr Asst Secretary of Homeland Security
- Sean O’KeefeFmr Secretary of the Navy and NASA Administrator
- Daniel PriceFmr Dep National Security Advisor
- Paul RosenzweigFmr Dep Asst Secretary of Homeland Security
- Nicholas RostowFmr NSC Legal Adviser
- Kori SchakeFmr Prin Dep Director, State Dept Policy Planning
- Wayne SchroederFmr Dep Under Secretary of Defense
- Robert ShanksFmr Dep Asst Attorney General
- Rep. Christopher ShaysFmr Member of Congress
- John SimonFmr Senior Director, NSC Staff
- Stephen SlickFmr Senior Director, NSC Staff
- Amb. William TaftFmr Deputy Secretary of Defense
- Shirin Tahir-KheliFmr Special Asst to the President
- Miles TaylorFmr Chief of Staff, Dept of Homeland Security
- William TobeyFmr Dep Administrator, Nat Nuclear Security Admin
- Amb. Robert TuttleFmr US Ambassador to the United Kingdom
- John VeroneauFmr Dep US Trade Representative
- Michael VickersFmr Under Secretary of Defense
- Ken WainsteinFmr Homeland Security Advisor
- Sen. John WarnerFmr US Senator
- Matthew WaxmanFmr Prin Dep Director, State Dept Policy Planning
- William WebsterFmr Director of the CIA and FBI
- Dov ZakheimFmr Under Secretary of Defense
- Philip ZelikowFmr Counselor of the Dept of State
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