Former Trump officials believe he is putting America 'in a dangerous zone': report

20 November 2023

Some of former President Donald Trump's outspoken critics are conservative Republicans who served in his administration, including former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Trump's critics on the right are making it clear that they would like to see someone else win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, in an article published on November 20, poses the question: Will this criticism from the right make any difference next year? Trump remains the clear frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, and some polls are showing him slightly ahead of incumbent President Joe Biden in a hypothetical matchup.

Kelly told the Post, "What's going on in the country that a single person thinks this guy would still be a good president when he's said the things he's said and done the things he's done? It's beyond my comprehension he has the support he has."

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Dawsey reports that "interviews with 16 former Trump advisers…. show they are grappling with how they can puncture Trump's candidacy in 2024."

"So far," Dawsey explains, "Trump has surged toward the GOP nomination even as former aides critical of him have blanketed the airwaves, giving scathing speeches, testifying on camera in front of congressional committees and penning books — shaking off the kinds of condemnations that could mortally wound another politician…. Every president has the occasional critic from within his administration…. What makes Trump different is how many former aides have come out against him, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, and how vituperative their criticisms have been."

Kelly's tone, according to Dawsey, is one of "increasing despair" as he watches Trump maintain his sizable lead in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

The former White House chief of staff told the Post, "I came out and told people the awful things he said about wounded soldiers, and it didn't have half a day's bounce. You had his attorney general Bill Barr come out, and not a half a day's bounce. If anything, his numbers go up. It might even move the needle in the wrong direction. I think we're in a dangerous zone in our country."

Read the Washington Post's full report at this link (subscription required).

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