Opinion: Trump is no conservative. We’re Republican men and we’re voting for Kamala Harris
As Republicans, we believe character and integrity matter. That’s why we proudly supported Ambassador Nikki Haley for president and were part of her Michigan Leadership Team. We believed in her positive vision for the future of the Republican Party, Michigan and our nation.
Now, we will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and we are encouraging other sensible Republicans to join us.
There is too much at stake here in America and around the world to suffer through the distraction and division we all know will come with another Donald Trump presidency.
Let us be clear. We disagree, sometimes strongly, with Vice President Harris on some of the ways we increase opportunity for everyone, but we believe she is a person of integrity. And right here, right now in this important election, character and integrity matter most of all.
We can’t say the same thing about former President Trump. Trump builds up himself by tearing down America and Americans. Just last week, during a speech that was supposed to be about battling antisemitism, the former president said the Jewish people would have “a lot to do with” the reason he might not win in November. During his televised debate with the vice president, Trump said Haitian immigrants living in Ohio were, “eating the dogs. They’re eating cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” America deserves better.
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But it is more than just the strange things he says. Trump is no conservative.
On economic policy, Trump’s across-the-board tariff policies will result in a sales tax that will raise taxes on every American by $4,000.
In reining in government spending, Trump is no fiscal conservative either. Trump’s profligate spending as president increased the federal deficit to more than $8 trillion. And at every campaign stop, he promises yet a new government giveaway our nation simply can’t afford. In fact, many mainstream economists estimate Trump’s spending plan will raise the national debt by $5.8 trillion.
Harris’ economic plan would focus on supporting and strengthening independent small business owners, the backbone of our economy.
On foreign policy, as Ambassador Haley rightfully noted, Trump gets “weak in the knees” on Putin. We believe Trump is too sympathetic to dictators around the world, and Harris will focus on strengthening our alliances.
We cannot go back to the chaos of Donald Trump; we have seen what damage it caused the Republican Party and our nation. We believe it is time to turn the page. We will therefore vote for Kamala Harris.
Jimmy Greene is founder and board chair of Saginaw-based consulting firm Jimmy Greene & Associates.
Bill Nowling is a co-chair of Republicans for Harris. He was a campaign spokesman for former Gov. Rick Snyder and spokesman for former Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr.
This story has been updated to include a list of related guest columns.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Opinion: Trump is no conservative. We’re voting for Kamala Harris