Senator Mark Kirk, Republican of Illinois simply could not take it anymore, and Donald Trump gave him the offramp.
Mark Kirk (R-IL) dumps Donald Trump
Is this the beginning of the Dump Trump movement? Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) dropped his support for the Donald with a striking indictment that will likely stick.
Before getting into the Kirk tweet and statement today, recall what he said in May.
Asked in an interview with CNN last week if he’d support Trump for president, Kirk said: “Certainly, if he’s the nominee.” Given the opportunity to revise his comments after Trump’s win in Indiana, Kirk’s campaign declined.
Kirk said in that interview that even as he runs against many of Trump’s positions, specifically citing an “isolationist” foreign policy debuted last week, he is comfortable sharing a ticket with the mogul.
He even said Trump might help the GOP brand down the line.“Donald Trump is kind of a riverboat gamble,” Kirk said. “He won the Illinois primary, in this case we have seen the Republican vote up and the Democratic vote down, so it looks like it’s a net benefit.”
Now, with Donald Trump failing to moderate his stances, it is getting too hot for Kirk. In less than one week Kirk had to endure his candidate making several ‘insensitive’ statements. He had the African American incident followed shortly by the ‘Mexican judge’ incident. Trump decided not to cut his losses but to continue his Trumpian behavior.
AP Congressional Reporter Eric Werner sent out a tweet stating Mark Kirk unendorsed Trump.
First un-endorsement — Sen. Mark Kirk. "I cannot and will not support my party's nominee for President."
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) June 7, 2016
Mark Kirk sent out the following tweet in which he said,
Given my military experience, Donald Trump does not have the temperament to command our military or our nuclear arsenal.
Given my military experience, Donald Trump does not have the temperament to command our military or our nuclear arsenal.
— Mark Kirk (@MarkKirk) June 7, 2016
Kirk issued the following press release on his website.
“I have spent my life building bridges and tearing down barriers–not building walls. That’s why I find Donald Trump’s belief that an American-born judge of Mexican descent is incapable of fairly presiding over his case is not only dead wrong, it is un-American.
As the Presidential campaign progressed, I was hoping the rhetoric would tone down and reflect a campaign that was inclusive, thoughtful and principled. While I oppose the Democratic nominee, Donald Trump’s latest statements, in context with past attacks on Hispanics, women and the disabled like me, make it certain that I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party.
It is absolutely essential that we are guided by a commander-in-chief with a responsible and proper temperament, discretion and judgment. Our President must be fit to command the most powerful military the world has ever seen, including an arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons. After much consideration, I have concluded that Donald Trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world.”
Recently both Conservative Republican Erick Erickson and Joe Scarborough similarly slammed Trump and the leaders of the Republican Party.
Let the flood gates open.