As America inches closer to Election Day, Donald Trump’s shot of becoming president for a second time remains a very real possibility. Even though he has a tremendous amount of supporters, The New York Times has reported that some of his most notable allies, family members and staunch conservatives have spoken out against Trump. Here’s a list of the most surprising things they’ve said.
“Trump, at time[s], espouses things that people who I believe are racist espouses...He uses [people of color] as props. And when he gets what he needs out of them — votes — he’ll cast them aside.”—ABC News
“Donald has, in some sense, always been institutionalized, shielded from his limitations or his need to succeed on his own in the world. Honest work was never demanded of him, and no matter how badly he failed, he was rewarded in ways that are almost unfathomable.” —“Too Much and Never Enough” by Mary L. Trump
“Trump is not the candidate for America. Words matter, and you incite violence when you cajole, tacitly and implicitly, encourage the next Dylann Roof or the next Timothy McVeigh. They are listening. In some tragic cases, they are acting.” —Politico
“I think that people will come to terms with the fact that Trump may not be equipped to deal with the racial issues that are going on in the country. In fact, he’s kind of fed into a lot of them.”—TMZ
“It was about public service rising above self. The president had lost sight of that. It was also unclear to me if the president was actually in the mental place to continue to serve as the commander in chief of the most powerful military in the world. His behavior had grown increasingly erratic and unnerving.” —“Hostages No More” by Betsy DeVos
“I believe anyone that puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States and anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”— Associated Press
“Trump doesn’t give a sh*t. He’s not looking to nurture. He’s not looking to mentor guys. … Do you think Trump wants a guy to win after him?” —“Insurgency” by Jeremy Peters
“It’s the phoniness of it all. It’s the phoniness and this cruelty. Donald is cruel.”—Washington Post
“It is this combination — the hint of menace beneath the surface added to what appears to be an unpolished immediacy — that millions of listeners take as evidence of Trump’s authenticity and spontaneity.”—The Guardian
“I finally stepped outside the MAGA echo chamber. I stopped listening to what Trump said and looked around with my own eyes, and I realized he had been lying about pretty much everything. Lying is Trump’s toxic superpower.” —Democratic National Convention
“If he hasn’t committed indictable offenses, I don’t know what one is.” —Axios
“You either believe, in this moment, that he is a threat to our democracy or you don’t. Stop there. There’s nothing else to speak about.” —WTTW News
“The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”—NPR
“He is unhinged; he is more diminished than he was, just like Joe Biden’s more diminished than what he was. We have to see this for what it is. This is a fact: He is now saying things that don’t make sense.” —The “Today” Show
“Here’s what I know: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat.” —TIME
