Bret Stephens, deputy editor of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, said the Republican Party has taken a wrong turn by choosing Donald Trump as its presidential nominee and that he’s ready to leave it for a different party.
In a column published Monday night, Stephens, a critic of Trump and his backers, said that the GOP no longer represents views on everything from trade policy to the importance of “culture, civility and character” in political leaders.
“I don’t see the point of belonging to a party on the increasingly dubious assumption that it’s slightly less bad than the opposition,” he said. “If I can’t get my Grand Old Party back, I’d rather help build a new one.”
In his ascent to the nomination, Trump has upended much of the GOP’s orthodoxy by taking a hardline stance on illegal immigration and bucking long-held beliefs on open trade. He has also sworn off any attempt to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits, which many GOP leaders say are desperately needed to reduce the federal deficit.
While a large number of Republicans and conservative intellectuals have resisted “Trumpism,” many in the GOP, such as Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity, have endorsed Trump’s views and defended his proposals that drifted from traditionally conservative positions.
“Now it’s my turn to watch the Republican Party drift away,” wrote Stephens. “Whether the trend continues after the election remains to be seen, but already the GOP is largely unrecognizable to me.”
