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Former Trump officials are among the most vocal opponents of returning him to the White House
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Some Former Trump officials are among the most vocal opponents of returning him to the White House, saying he is a threat to U.S. democracy and unfit for presidency.
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FILE - Sarah Matthews, former White House deputy press secretary, arrives as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, July 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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FILE - Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at an event Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. As Donald Trump seeks the presidency a third time, he’s being shadowed by a chorus of people who served in his administration turned sharp critics. Pence has declined to endorse Trump, his former running mate. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
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FILE - Former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton speaks at the Global Taiwan National Affair Symposium XII in Taipei, Taiwan, April 29, 2023. As Donald Trump seeks the presidency a third time, he’s being shadowed by a chorus of people who served in his administration turned sharp critics. Bolton has described Trump as “unfit to be president.” (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
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FILE - Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks Sept. 22, 2020, at the Pentagon in Washington. As Donald Trump seeks the presidency a third time, he’s being shadowed by a chorus of people who served in his administration turned sharp critics. Esper has called Trump a “threat to democracy” and says he won’t vote for him in 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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By
MICHELLE L. PRICE
Updated 7:29 PM EDT, April 5, 2024
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Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the
presidential election.
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has called him a “threat to democracy.” Former national security adviser John Bolton has declared him “unfit to be president.” And former Vice President
Mike Pence has declined to endorse him, citing “profound differences.”
As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a third time, he is being vigorously opposed by a vocal contingent of former officials who are stridently warning against his return to power and offering dire predictions for the country and the rule of law if his campaign succeeds.
It’s a striking chorus of detractors, one without precedent in the modern era, coming from those who witnessed first-hand his conduct in office and the turmoil that followed.
Sarah Matthews, a former Trump aide who testified before the House Jan. 6 committee and is among those warning about the threat he poses, said it’s “mind-boggling” how many members of his senior staff have denounced him.