Former RNC chairman says he won't vote for Trump, wishes Joe Biden had run
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Mel Martinez not only won't vote for Donald Trump, but made it clear that really, all you need in order to get his vote this election is a beating heart.
Martinez, a former Florida senator and Republican National Committee chairman, told The Wall Street Journal that he won't cast his ballot for Trump, adding: "If there is any, any, any other choice, a living, breathing person with a pulse, I would be there." Now that his first choice, Jeb Bush, is out of the race, he's supporting Marco Rubio, although he's pretty sure the Florida senator won't win his state's March 15 primary. "It's kind of cooked, Trump's path to the nomination," he said.
Martinez said he won't vote for Hillary Clinton if she's the Democratic nominee, but did tell WSJ he would have backed Vice President Joe Biden had he decided to run. Martinez wasn't the only former RNC chairman speaking out against Trump; Ken Mehlman tweeted out a message to the Republican frontrunner on Monday, WSJ reports. Mehlman called Trump out for not disavowing former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke during an appearance on CNN, tweeting: "Leaders don't need to do research to reject Klan support #NeverTrump."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political cartoons for February 8Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include going down the drain, American history, and more
-
Touring the vineyards of southern BoliviaThe Week Recommends Strongly reminiscent of Andalusia, these vineyards cut deep into the country’s southwest
-
American empire: a history of US imperial expansionDonald Trump’s 21st century take on the Monroe Doctrine harks back to an earlier era of US interference in Latin America
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
