As President-Elect Donald Trump barrels toward inauguration, it seems that those who critique him are being meant with a chorus of “wait and see,” or “give him a chance,” or “the country needs healing.” I’m not sure when we decided that we couldn’t criticize those in power, or soon to be in power, or the person about to become President in favor of vague “chances.”
I also realize that these disagreements come down on party lines. Certainly Trump voters and conservatives are perhaps more likely to tout the “wait and see” line, while liberals are more likely to be speaking out in criticism.
And yet, there is a wave of conservative voice speaking out against Trump and his movements thus far. While I am definitely a more liberal-minded person, I find it helpful to consider these voices as they clearly illustrate that we all have much to fear in a Trump presidency, and that Trump’s decisions thus far are open to critique from all sides.
Consider Evan McMullin. He was a policy director for House Republicans and a former CIA operative. He ran for President in opposition to Trump, and stands for many standard conservative/Republicans ideals. He is also speaking out against Trump. McMullin has been loudly criticizing Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon, former editor of the white supremacy-supporting Breitbart News, and whom Richard Spencer, today’s Neo-Nazi darling, calls “open” to their ideology. In an op-ed, McMullin says:
[T]he GOP’s long-standing pattern of failure to win minority votes suggests a problem. That white supremacists feel comfortable aligning with the party, while minorities do not, suggests that the GOP as a whole is not sufficiently welcoming to racial diversity. […] No near-term political advantage derived from accommodating organized racism can compensate for the damage it does to our nation.
Here is a Republican, conservative, pro-life politician speaking truth to his own party and his own colleagues. The GOP would do well to listen to him.
If you aren’t concerned about white supremacists (or at the very least, white supremacist-enablers) occupying key White House positions, then perhaps you might listen to Michigan Congressperson and Republican Justin Amash. He is raising concerns about Trump’s serious conflicts of interest and speaking out against them. On his Twitter feed, Amash has said the following regarding Trump’s claims of engaging with corporations (such as Ford and Carrier) to “keep jobs here” and his refusal to puts his assets in a blind trust:
When a state does this, I call it corporate welfare and cronyism. It benefits politically connected companies at expense of most residents.
You rightly criticized Hillary for Clinton Foundation. If you have contracts w/foreign govts, it’s certainly a big deal, too.
Amash is also critical of Trump’s pick for Attorney General, Sen. Jeff Sessions:
He supports indefinite detention of Americans w/o charge or trial, mass surveillance of law-abiding Americans, civil asset forfeiture, etc. If a Dem nominee held these views, Rs would be screaming for Senate to reject him. We should be consistent with our constitutional concerns
Regarding those conflcts, both Richard Painter, Chief Ethics Counsel for George W. Bush, and Norman Eisen, Chief Ethics Counsel for Barack Obama, have called for the Electoral College to cast votes for Hillary Clinton if Trump does not sell off his assets and establish a truly blind trust, that is, not one run by his children.
Both Painter and Eisen believe Trump intends to violate the “emolument clause” of the Constitution, in Article 1, Section 9, which prohibits the President from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.” Because Trump has already indicated in his NYT roundtable that “the law is totally on my side, meaning, the president can’t have a conflict of interest,” Painter and Eisen are concerned that from day one of his Presidency, Trump will be in violation of the Constitution.
Additionally, Painter — remember, he was counsel to George W. Bush — said he is trying to contact the Trump transition team, but “his attempts to warn the Trump transition of the legal consequences of their approach, including emails to adviser Kellyanne Conway, are being ignored.”
Former George W. Bush speechwriter and prominent Republican David Frum has also been voicing criticism of Trump’s leadership and demeanor:
Trump has the legal right to govern. He has yet to earn democratic consent. Take it from a Bush alumnus — a president needs both.
Every claim by President-elect Trump must be independently verified. His word is worthless.
The president-elect of the United States is confessing on Twitter his intention to prostitute his office for personal financial gain / Just as he confessed on audiotape his repeat practice of sexual assault.
And these are only a few conservative voices who are speaking out against the warning signs of what seem to be Trump’s racist, oligarchic, kleptocratic intentions. Remember that George and Laura Bush did not cast a vote for Trump. John McCain declared he did not vote for Trump. John Kasich also did not vote for Trump.
But regardless of your vote we can all speak out. It no longer matters how Hillary Clinton stacks up against Trump, because Trump is the President-Elect. As conservative Sean Patrick Hughes writes:
“So when there’s a KKK rally in North Carolina to celebrate the election of the candidate you support, you no longer have any excuse not to condemn it with the same uncompromising vigor that you condemned Hillary. […] You can’t point to her anymore as cause.”
So let’s not make excuses. We can all call our elected officials and ask them to speak out, in the hopes that this will put pressure on Trump to fire Steve Bannon, give a full-throted repudiation of Neo-Nazis/the racist attacks that spiked after the election, sell his assets, and select cabinet members who will represent all Americans.
There is nothing partisan about decrying white supremacy or demanding a President-Elect not profit from his position. This is the time to demand action, conservative or liberal. (Hey, look at that! I guess Trump has turned out to be a real uniter, after all.)
ETA, 11/27/16: I will keep adding to this piece as I see more conservative voices speaking out.
ETA: 12/2/16: Sarah Palin, perhaps surprisingly of all people, has slammed Trump’s Carrier Deal, which is being criticized by nearly everyone. But this appears consistent with Palin’s principles, so I guess we can give her some credit for that.
