He campaigned against Vice President Joe Biden, but former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is backing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Steele, a lifelong Republican, joined The Lincoln Project in August as a senior adviser, and in a new ad released by the anti-Trump group on Tuesday, Steele officially endorsed Biden for president.
The video begins with Steele discussing a plot in 1861 to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln on his way to the inauguration. That would have plunged the country into "chaos," Steele says, but instead Lincoln safely made it to D.C. and "onto greatness."
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.
"In the days ahead, we may face a crisis of similar proportion," Steele continues. "An outlaw president clinging to power and defying the will of the people. For four years, many have said there will come a moment — well, this is the moment, because this ballot is like none ever cast."
Steele said while he remains a Republican, "this ballot is how we restore the soul of our nation: electing a good man, Joe Biden, and a trailblazer, Kamala Harris, and ensure an orderly transfer of power, or plunge our country into chaos. America or Trump. I choose America." Catherine Garcia
-
Government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
-
Crossword: November 22, 2025The daily crossword from The Week
-
5 hilariously mouthy cartoons about MTG’s feud with TrumpCartoon Artists take on Greene's space lasers, hell freezing over, and more
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
