Prominent conservative columnist leads growing exodus over Trump bid
Influential conservative columnist George Will said he is leaving the Republican Party over Donald Trump’s polarising presidential campaign and urged others to follow suit, even if it means rival Democrats take the White House.
Will, a Washington Post columnist, told a luncheon on Friday: “This is not my party,” according to the conservative PJ Media news website.
Republican donors have never been more important than they are at this moment
The Pulitzer Prize winner told the media outlet Republicans should “make sure” Trump loses, after giving a speech at the conservative Federalist Society luncheon. Will said he had changed his voter registration from Republican to “unaffiliated” this month.
During the event, Will said it would be worse for Trump to be president with “no opposition” from a Republican-led Congress than for Hillary Clinton to be president with a Republican Congress.
In a column published this week in the Post, Will urged Republicans to “save your party, don’t give to Trump”.
“Trump’s campaign has less cash [US$1.3 million] than some congressional candidates have, so Republican donors have never been more important than they are at this moment,” he wrote.
Will’s comments follow similar concessions by other prominent Republicans.