New York – Several Republicans took to social media Wednesday to declare they will never back Donald Trump for U.S. president even after Ted Cruz, the billionaire businessman’s closest rival, dropped out of the race for the party nomination.
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The anti-Trump declarations came from a range of quarters, including at least one Republican U.S. senator and a number of political commentators who have been leading voices of the #NeverTrump movement that has resisted his candidacy.
Trump’s victory in the Indiana primary on Tuesday prompted Cruz’s surprise decision to suspend his campaign and left Trump a largely uncontested path to securing the roughly 200 delegates he still needs to lock down the Republican presidential nomination for the Nov. 8 election.
“Reporters keep asking if Indiana changes anything for me. The answer is simple: No,” U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska said on Twitter. Sasse included a link to a February Facebook post in which he appealed to Trump backers to drop their support.
Mark Salter, a former speech writer for Senator John McCain, said he would support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, over Trump.
“The GOP is going to nominate for President a guy who reads the National Enquirer and thinks it’s on the level. I’m with her,” Salter (@MarkSalter55) tweeted, referring to a common rallying cry among Clinton supporters.
But the high-profile “Stop Trump” or “Never Trump” effort launched by conservative Republicans failed to significantly slow Trump’s momentum and appeared not to have achieved its mission as the date nears for the Republicans’ convention in July.
After Trump’s Indiana victory on Tuesday night, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called for the party to back Trump.
“@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton,” Priebus (@Reince) tweeted.
Still, it was clear that Trump faces some difficulty bringing all Republicans on board.
Bill Kristol, a neoconservative and editor of the Weekly Standard, offered a scathing retort to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s call to back Trump.
“If you’re for Trump you functionally are for a man unfit to be president, & for the degradation of [American] conservatism,” tweeted Kristol (@BillKristol) early Wednesday.
“Never ever ever Trump. Simple as that,” tweeted Tim Miller (@Timodc), former campaign communications director for Jeb Bush, who dropped out of the White House race earlier this year.
Several Republican voters said on Twitter that they were changing their party affiliation, while some posted photos of their voter registration cards lit ablaze.
this is a DISASTER for a beautiful country like the U.S. If you think Obama was bad for America you ain’t seen nothin yet
Dunno what’s so beautiful about the us
Totally
Remarkable
Unexpected
Miraculous
Presumptive Next President !
Can’t wait until we Make America Great Again.
What I’m not getting is, okay, Trump’s not a conservative, I agree, but how’s backing inexperienced, inept, lying Hillary going to serve your conservative cause?
Having Trump as president is like selecting him be the Yankees starting pitcher for the 7th game of the World Series (in a World Series where there are no relief pitchers).
Might it work out? Perhaps. He does have self confidence.
Would I want it to work out? Of course. I don’t want MY team to lose!
But do I believe it WILL work out? Absolutely NOT. I believe it will be an unprecedented disaster. He will Make America Great Shame Again.
these dumb liberals still don’t understand that the more they try scaring republicans with their anti Trump rhetoric, the more we dig in our heels and support Trump even more!
The problem NOW is that one of these 2 , will be President
Great news! Inauguration Day will feature Trump Steaks and Trump vodka for all, and the groundbreaking for the 110 foot Trump Wall. But who’s going to delver the groceries in Boro Park and Williamsburg?