Politics

Yet Another Trump Critic Becomes A Senior State Department Official

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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A spokesman for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was no fan of Donald Trump during the presidential primary.

R.C. Hammond is senior adviser for public affairs at the Department of State and previously worked as a press secretary for Newt Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign.

The morning of Super Tuesday, an extremely important moment in the primaries, Hammond tweeted out, “is Super Tuesday the day the music died? #vote #NotTrump.” Trump would go on to win several states that day.

The now-State Department official also tweeted out a poll asking Twitter users: “Donald Trump as GOP’s nominee means?” The three options for the poll were “revolution,” “armageddon,” and “headed for Canada.” The option to flee to Canada won the poll.

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Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Hammond had a habit of live-tweeting GOP debates with heavy criticism of Trump.

Trump said during the Feb. 25 debate that he can’t release his tax returns as he is under audit, and Hammond tweeted, “Oh Donald, Turbo tax offers audit protection for this very reason.”

“Did we just see coordinated comedy, Cruz and Rubio?” Hammond again asked his Twitter followers. “I am enjoying Ted talking to Donald like he is a child having a tantrum.”

He also claimed during the September 2015 debate on CNN that “resting duck face is not a good look for Trump although, it is better than Romney’s Cheshire Cat smile.”

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Twitter screenshot

Hammond is the second key State Department official with a known anti-Trump past. Brian Hook, the director of policy planning, told Politico in 2016, “Even if you say you support him as the nominee, you go down the list of [Trump’s] positions and you see you disagree on every one.”

Negative comments about Trump reportedly kept Elliot Abrams from becoming deputy secretary of state. Hammond did not respond to an inquiry asking whether he still feels the same way about Trump. His Twitter feed is now supportive of the president.