Dear Members and Alumni,
In every presidential election since 1888, the members and
Executive Board of the Harvard Republican Club have gathered to
discuss, debate, and eventually endorse the standard-bearer of our
party. But for the first time in 128 years, we, the oldest College
Republicans chapter in the nation, will not be endorsing the
Republican nominee.
Donald Trump holds views that are antithetical to our values not
only as Republicans, but as Americans. The rhetoric he espouses
–from racist slander to misogynistic taunts– is not consistent with
our conservative principles, and his repeated mocking of the
disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of war,
Gold Star families, and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad
politics, but absurdly cruel.
If enacted, Donald Trump’s platform would endanger our security
both at home and abroad. Domestically, his protectionist trade
policies and draconian immigration restrictions would enlarge our
federal deficit, raise prices for consumers, and throw our economy
back into recession. Trump’s global outlook, steeped in
isolationism, is considerably out-of-step with the traditional
Republican stance as well. The flippancy with which he is willing
to abdicate the United States’ responsibility to lead is alarming.
Calling for the US’ withdrawal from NATO and actively endorsing
nuclear proliferation, Donald Trump’s foreign policy would wreak
havoc on the established world order which has held aggressive
foreign powers in check since World War II.
Perhaps most importantly, however, Donald Trump simply does not
possess the temperament and character necessary to lead the United
States through an increasingly perilous world. The last week should
have made obvious to all what has been obvious to most for more
than a year. In response to any slight –perceived or real– Donald
Trump lashes out viciously and irresponsibly. In Trump’s eyes,
disagreement with his actions or his policies warrants incessant
name calling and derision: stupid, lying, fat, ugly, weak, failing,
idiot –and that’s just his “fellow” Republicans.
He isn’t eschewing political correctness. He is eschewing basic
human decency.
Donald Trump, despite spending more than a year on the campaign
trail, has either refused or been unable to educate himself on
issues that matter most to Americans like us. He speaks only in
platitudes, about greatness, success, and winning. Time and time
again, Trump has demonstrated his complete lack of knowledge on
critical matters, meandering from position to position over the
course of the election. When confronted about these frequent
reversals, Trump lies in a manner more brazen and shameless than
anything politics has ever seen.
Millions of people across the country are feeling despondent.
Their hours have been cut, wages slashed, jobs even shipped
overseas. But Donald Trump doesn’t have a plan to fix that. He has
a plan to exploit that.
Donald Trump is a threat to the survival of the Republic. His
authoritarian tendencies and flirtations with fascism are
unparalleled in the history of our democracy. He hopes to divide us
by race, by class, and by religion, instilling enough fear and
anxiety to propel himself to the White House. He is looking to to
pit neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, American
against American. We will not stand for this vitriolic rhetoric
that is poisoning our country and our children.
President Reagan called on us to maintain this, our shining city
on a hill. He called on us to maintain freedom abroad by keeping a
strong presence in the world. He called on us to maintain liberty
at home by upholding the democratic process and respecting our
opponents. He called on us to maintain decency in our hearts by
loving our neighbor.
He would be ashamed of Donald Trump. We are too.
This fall, we will instead focus our efforts on reclaiming the
Republican Party from those who have done it considerable harm,
campaigning for candidates who will uphold the conservative
principles that have defined the Republican Party for generations.
We will work to ensure both chambers of Congress remain in
Republican hands, continuing to protect against executive overreach
regardless of who wins the election this November.
We call on our party’s elected leaders to renounce their support
of Donald Trump, and urge our fellow College Republicans to join us
in condemning and withholding their endorsement from this dangerous
man. The conservative movement in America should not and will not
go quietly into the night.
A longtime student of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville
once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases
to be good, America will cease to be great.”
De Tocqueville believed in the United States. Americans are a
decent people. We work hard, protect our own, and look out for one
another in times of need, regardless of the color of our skin, the
God we worship, or our party registration. Donald Trump may not
believe in that America, but we do. And that America will never
cease to be great.
The Harvard Republican Club
