The only challenge here was limiting myself to 10 arguments against Donald Trump (and one good reason to vote for Kamala Harris). So, drum rollworking towards No. 1:
10: As president, he violated his oath “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
Ask Mike Pence, who lost his spot as Trump's running mate to Ohio Sen. JD Vance because Pence I wouldn't do it violate the Constitution; advance wanted to. Even after leaving office, Trump called finishing parts of him in order to regain power. No one should think that he would keep his oath if given a second chance, especially when the Supreme Court he presided over has ruled that presidents are virtually immune from prosecution.
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Jackie Calmes
Jackie Calmes brings a critical look to the national political scene. He has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.
9: He still hasn't said he will accept the voters' verdict.
And that is still unprecedented. Trump has severely eroded Americans' faith in elections that are fundamental to democracy. He lied After his electoral college victory in 2016, he lost the popular vote only because up to 5 million people illegally voted for Hillary Clinton. His efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden led to him being criminally charged, another first.
8: He will be held responsible for his alleged crimes as president only if he is defeated.
If re-elected, Trump can order “his” Justice Department to bury the two federal cases he managed to delay after the election: the trial in Washington for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election, and the case in Florida for allegedly fleeing and hide. Top government secrets. A third case in Georgia, state charges for attempting to subvert its 2020 vote for Biden, could well be left aside if he were to return to office.
7: He would be the first president with a serious record.
Trump has been found guilty or responsible for sexual abuse, defamation, civil financial fraud and criminal business fraud to hide a date with a porn star. He is also the first president to be impeached twice, rightly so. Character counts: Voters should not hire someone for president who would not be hired by any private employer in the country.
6: He is not fit to be president.
Take it from dozens of former top advisers, including nearly half of the 42 people who served in Trump's Cabinet. The first cabinet members he once called “my generals”? James N. Mattis, HR McMaster and John F. Kelly They all broke with their former commander in chief. Even those who support Trump have condemned him: former prosecutor. General William Barr saying Trump “shouldn't be anywhere near the Oval Office” and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley called him “unhinged.” Let those two shapeshifters put party before country to vote for Trump. Voters shouldn't do it.
5: It is a threat to national security.
Trump is “the most dangerous person for this country” Mark A. Milleyformer chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says in Bob Woodward's new book. He is more likely to be seduced by murderous autocrats than to confront them. He is prepared to appease war criminal Vladimir Putin and reward Russia's illegal invasion by abandoning Ukraine. Woodward reports that Trump has had seven calls with Putin since leaving office, suggesting a treacherous willingness to undermine allied support for Ukraine, European security, and American alliances generally. He motivated Russia should do “whatever it wants” with NATO members that do not meet their defense spending targets. Like Foreign Affairs reported: “His first term tested the transatlantic relationship, but his second would break it.”
4: You don't know or care how to constructively address the nation's problems.
hills ignorant of policies candidate in memory, Trump turned on the extremists behind Project 2025 asking for a plan, although he now denies it. Deal maker? He lacks the attention span, understanding of details, and spirit of compromise to enact bipartisan legislation. In a Wall Street newspaper surveyMost economists predicted that inflation, interest rates, and deficits would be much higher under her tax and tariff cut proposals than under Harris' policies. (And no, Trump's tariffs are not reduce child care costs.) I had republicans kill an immigration bill to keep the issue alive in his demagogic campaign. Their solution: “bloody” deportations of millions of immigrants.
3: It will further fill the federal courts with right-wing ideologues.
To confirm his elections, Trump would once again have the help of what is expected to be a Republican-majority Senate. Again, he would choose young nominees to serve for decades: “They don't get old, because they'll be there for two or three years,” he said. saying last week. Far-right Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. would likely retire so Trump could name much younger, like-minded replacements.
2. He is a pathological liar.
Trump's constant lies They range from relatively harmless to life-threatening. Residents of Springfield, Ohio, endured school and hospital closures amid bomb threats after Trump lied that Haitian immigrants would eat their pets. Federal hurricane response teams in the South were threatened after Trump lied about the Biden administration's rescue effort. Local governments are spending tax dollars to protect nonpartisan poll workers. Prominent and obscure Americans have been forced to get security against death threats after Trump's mendacious attacks. But more prosaically: citizens should expect the truth from their presidents.
1. He was not and would not be a president for all Americans.
Not MAGA? It is not worthy. Trump talks about withholding disaster aid to blue states. He attacks Democrats, other domestic critics, and the free press as “the enemy within,” subject to possible military action.
Finally, the bonus, a positive reason to vote for Harris. Not only is he among the most experienced applicants for the job, but he's also not Trump.
@jackiekcalmes
