Former RNC chairman says he won't vote for Trump, wishes Joe Biden had run


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."
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in 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.
-
May 24 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons feature Medicare and Medicaid cuts, James Comey's social media post, and Trump's big beautiful bill.
-
5 cartoons about the Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Cartoons Artists take on a stand-in for Vladimir Putin and phone calls with Donald Trump.
-
Donald Trump's foreign policy flip in the Middle East
Talking Point Surprise lifting of sanctions on Syria shows Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are now effectively 'dictating US foreign policy'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'