A former Hawaii congressman announced his intention Monday to leave the Republican Party over the bad direction he feels President Donald Trump is leading it in.
Charles Djou, a former U.S representative for seven months, declared he was “abandoning” the GOP because it no longer represented the “Party of Lincoln,” he wrote in an op-ed for the Honolulu Civil Beat.
Djou found Trump’s immigration comments and the president’s decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership to be particularly disturbing, he said.
“I have long believed that America’s strength lies in our nation’s diversity — not its exclusion or isolation. We are a nation of immigrants and benefit from a national fabric woven with the threads of many people, of many backgrounds and cultures, all united in the common belief and love of American liberty. That’s why I championed immigration reform as a congressman,” Djou wrote.
Djou’s also disappointed in the GOP’s unwillingness to criticize Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and his insults of other party members.
“This leads to an implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed and unfocused leadership as a core part of the Republican Party. This is something I cannot accept and will not be a part of,” Djou added.
Other GOP members have taken to leaving the party over Trump and his rhetoric. One reported up and coming leader within the party announced his departure from the party in January due to Trump’s tweet storms and his “shithole comments.”
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