More than 100 former Republican officials who served in roles related to national security or foreign policy endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, arguing her Republican rival, former president Donald Trump is “unfit to serve.” 

The group includes members of Congress and senior officials who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as the Trump administration.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 100 former Republican officials who served in roles related to national security or foreign policy endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, arguing her Republican rival, former president Donald Trump is “unfit to serve"
  • The group includes members of Congress and senior officials who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as the Trump administration

  • In the letter, the group of former GOP officials specifically cite Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and his “susceptibility to flattery and manipulation” by other world leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping as reasons they are not supporting him
  • The campaign has made a point to attempt to reach out to moderate-GOP voters who may be turned off by Trump, launching an organizing effort named “Republicans for Harris.” The vice president herself often pledges on the campaign trail to “put country before party and I will be a President for all Americans"

“We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump. As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents,” the officials wrote in a letter sharing their support for the vice president. 

In the letter, the group specifically cites Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as a reason they are not supporting him, charging that he violated his oath of office and invoking the argument that no one who puts themself over the Constitution should be president. (Trump faces federal charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the attack; he pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.)

The officials also point to Trump’s “susceptibility to flattery and manipulation” by other world leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping as “dangerous qualities.” 

While noting that they “expect to disagree” with Harris on policy issues, the group argues that she has demonstrated a commitment to “freedom, democracy, and rule of law,” citing her experience serving as attorney general of California, on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and as vice president. 

The officials go on to list specific reasons why they are backing the vice president, including her support of a border security bill worked out by a bipartisan group of senators that Trump pushed House and Senate Republicans to quash, her promise to support a strong NATO alliance and her pledge in an interview with CNN last month to appoint a Republican to her cabinet. 

The officials also list the vice president’s commitment to stand up to Israel’s right to defend itself, which is notable as some on the left have urged Biden and Harris to take a harder line with Israel when it comes to its actions in Gaza amid the war. Despite once being seen as a Biden administration official who was willing to use stronger language when describing Israel’s actions against civilians in the Palestinian territory, Harris has not broken with Biden on any policies in the Middle East during her campaign, including as recently as during a panel interview on Tuesday. 

Over the last few weeks, Harris has also received the backing of a group of other former Reagan officials, more than 200 former staffers for Presidents George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Mitt Romney as well as former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney. 

Several Republicans who are backing Harris were given speaking slots at the Democratic National Convention last month, including two former Trump White House officials, Stephanie Grisham, his one-time press secretary, and Olivia Troye, a national security staffer who also worked with Vice President Mike Pence. Former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who served on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, as well as former Georgia Lt. Gov Geoff Duncan, and the Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles also spoke in support of the vice president. 

The campaign has made a point to attempt to reach out to moderate-GOP voters who may be turned off by Trump, launching an organizing effort named “Republicans for Harris.” The vice president herself often pledges on the campaign trail to “put country before party and I will be a President for all Americans.”

Some Democrats and former Democrats have crossed over to join the former president's campaign, including former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and Democratic presidential candidate-turned-independent candidate-turned Trump acolyte Robert F. Kennedy Jr.