Former chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele will join the Republican anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project.
Steele’s job announcement came one day after George Conway, who helped co-found the group, said he would be leaving his post to focus on his family. His wife, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, also resigned on Sunday citing the same reasons.
“Today is the day where things should matter, and you need to take stock of what matters to you and the kind of leader you want to lead in these moments. And for me, it ain’t him,” Steele told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace regarding his new role.
“I get my role as a former national chairman,” Steele continued. “I get it, but I’m an American. I get my role as a former party leader. I’m still an American. These things matter to me more than aligning myself with a party that has clearly decided it would rather be sycophantic than principled.”
Steele was the first black person to lead the RNC and has been a vocal critic of President Trump.
The Lincoln Project has launched a number of negative ads about Trump and has openly endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for president. Its members include several longtime Republican and independent strategists.
Steele’s announcement also comes as the Republican National Convention takes place from Aug. 24 to 27.
