James Mattis – Secretary of Defense
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.”
- Statement published in The Atlantic on June 3, 2020
Rex Tillerson – Secretary of State
“What was challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented ExxonMobil Corporation, to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, ‘This is what I believe.’ ”
- A statement made during an interview with 60 Minutes’ Bob Schieffer aired on December 9, 2018
John Kelly – Chief of Staff
“I think we need to look harder at who we elect. We should look at people that are running for office and put them through the filter: What is their character like? What are their ethics?”
- A statement made during a live-streamed interview with Anthony Scaramucci on SALT Talks on June 5, 2020
Gary Cohn – Director of the National Economic Council
“I am concerned that the atmosphere in the White House is no longer conducive or no one has the personality to stand up and tell the president what he doesn’t want to hear,”
- A statement made during an interview with David Axelrod on The Axe Files podcast on December 2. 2019
John Bolton – National Security Advisor
“The President stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election [in 2020], alluding to China’s economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win,”
- From the book The Room Where it Happened
Miles Taylor – Chief of Staff Department of Homeland Security
“He didn’t feel like he had a base of supporters in California so as wildfires were burning down houses in the state the president basically said to us, ‘I don’t care’.”
- A statement made during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning American aired on August 18, 2020
Mitt Romney – U.S. Senator Utah
“Unprecedented, historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president,”
- A statement made on Twitter on July 11, 2020
Jeff Flake – U.S. Senator (ret) Arizona
This won’t be the first time I’ve voted for a Democrat — though not for president. Last time I voted for a third-party candidate. But I will not vote for Donald Trump.”
- A statement made during an interview with the Washington Post on April 28, 2020
Bob Corker – U.S. Senator (ret) Tennessee
I don’t know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard, and debases our country in a way that he does, but he does.”
- A statement made during an interview with Manu Raju in October of 2017
John Warner – U.S. Senator (ret) Virginia
We’re going from an untested president to a thoroughly tested president (referring to Biden). We’re not taking a gamble as we did with Trump.”
- Reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch on March 1, 2020
Charlie Dent – Pennsylvania
“At the end of the day, this isn’t about right or left; it’s not about ideology. To me, it’s about right or wrong, stability versus instability, security versus insecurity, you know, normal versus abnormal.”
- A statement made during an interview with Jake Tapper on August 19, 2020
Susan Molinari – New York
“Joe Biden is a really good man, and he’s exactly what this nation needs at this time.”
- A statement made during the DNC convention on August 17, 2020
Larry Hogan – Maryland
“Instead of listening to his own public health experts, the president was talking and tweeting like a man more concerned about boosting the stock market or his reelection plans.”
- From Washington Post Op-ed on July 16, 2020
Christine Todd Whitman – New Jersey
“This isn’t about a Republican or Democrat. It’s about a person, a person decent enough, stable enough, strong enough to get our economy back on track … Donald Trump isn’t that person. Joe Biden is.”
- A statement made during the DNC convention on August 17, 2020
John Kasich – Ohio
“Many of us can’t imagine four more years going down this path. … Continuing to follow that path will have terrible consequences for America’s soul because we’re being taken down the wrong road by a president who has pitted one against the other.”
- A statement made during the DNC convention on August 17, 2020
Admiral (ret) William McRaven
This fall, it’s time for new leadership in this country: Republican, Democrat, or independent. President Trump has shown he doesn’t have the qualities necessary to be a good commander in chief.”
- A statement made during an interview with NYT
General (ret) Colin Powell
“Our country needs a commander in chief who takes care of our troops in the same way he would his own family. For Joe Biden, that doesn’t need teaching. It comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families—sending his beloved son off to war and praying to God he would come home safe.”
- A statement made during the DNC convention on August 17, 2020
Business Leaders
Carly Fiorina – Former CEO of Hewlett Packard
“Donald Trump is many things, but he’s not a successful businessman.”
- A statement made during an interview with The Atlantic published June 25, 2020
Meg Whitman – CEO Quibi
“Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has a plan that will strengthen our economy for working people and small business owners. For me, the choice is simple: I’m with Joe.”
- A statement made during the DNC convention on August 17, 2020