All the ex-Trump officials who have publicly vowed not to vote for him
- President Donald Trump has experienced record-setting turnover during his time in office.
- Many of these former officials have not only gone on to publicly criticize the president, but also create anti-Trump groups and voice their support for Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden.
- The list of ex-Trump employees who say they will not vote for Trump continues to grow.
President Donald Trump's administration has been rocked by an historic turnover rate, higher than his five predecessors' in their entire first terms, the Brookings Institute found.
Several of his ex-employees have slid out of the public eye, while others have chosen to launch scathing attacks on the president and openly disavow him. Many have gone further and publicly revealed plans to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden come November, and some have privately said they will do so as well.
These Republicans have also joined anti-Trump political coalitions such as The Lincoln Project, Republican Voters Against Trump, 43 Alumni for Joe Biden PAC, and others. The groups see an opening to sway the votes of independent, undecided, and moderate Republicans. To that end, they have raised millions of dollars, spending that money on campaign ads aimed at ousting Trump from the White House.
Here is a list of the former Trump administration officials who have publicly indicated they will not vote for Trump:
Olivia Troye, former adviser on counterterrorism and homeland security to Vice President Mike Pence: Troye worked for Pence for the past two years until she left her post in August, after most recently serving on his coronavirus task force. In a campaign ad, Troye slammed Trump for his response to the public health crisis and accused the president of saying that the pandemic was a "good thing" because it prevented him from having to shake hands with "disgusting people," who she said were his supporters.
Miles Taylor, former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff: Taylor worked under the Trump administration for two years and later called the experience "terrifying." Many things Trump wanted the department to do were illegal, he alleged. Taylor endorsed Biden saying he's "confident that he won't make the same mistakes as this president" and announced in August the creation of an anti-Trump group called the Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform (REPAIR). Taylor revealed last week that he was the anonymous author of the 2018 New York Times op-ed article that said there was a "resistance" in the Trump administration.
Josh Venable, former chief of staff for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: Venable served in his position from the start of Trump's presidency until October 2018. He joined REPAIR to help "outline a more hopeful vision of America's future," according to a statement reported by Politico.
Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of counterterrorism and threat prevention at DHS: Neumann worked at the DHS for three years before resigning this April, lambasting Trump for "throwing fuel on the fire" of the threat of domestic terrorism. In a campaign ad, she revealed that she is voting for Biden since Americans are "less safe today because of his leadership," referring to Trump.
Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director: Scaramucci had a brief tenure with the Trump administration — less than two weeks in July 2017 — but was featured on Trump's Twitter page long afterward as the president continued to criticize him. Earlier this year, Scaramucci voiced his support for Biden, saying, "Of course I'll campaign for him, we gotta beat Trump."
John Bolton, former national security adviser: Bolton left the Trump administration in September 2019, after serving for about 16 months. He reinserted himself into the limelight earlier this year by publishing a tell-all memoir, in which he characterized Trump as erratic and unfit for office. He said in an interview with Business Insider that he doesn't plan to vote for Trump or Biden, and will instead write in the name of a conservative Republican.