After Cruz Drops Out, #NeverTrump Conservatives Make It Clear They’re Not Voting Trump
On Tuesday, what had been known for the last couple of weeks finally happened. Reckoning day arrived and presumptive GOP nominee and angry rancid cheesepuff Donald Trump won the Indiana GOP primary. And he won it by a lot, capturing all 57 delegates and essentially wrapping up the Republican nomination for the White House. In doing so, transphobic wax figure Ted Cruz decided he’d finally had enough and dropped out.
And with that, you’d think that most of the #NeverTrump conservative pundits and writers who vowed to do whatever it took to stop Trump would have a come to Jesus moment and embrace The Donald. Y’know, for the good of the party. But, despite liberal and right-wing talking heads predicting that pivot, the darndest thing happened. The #NeverTrumpers stood tough.
Sure, it might just be pride fucking with them, or the shock of the unthinkable not quite resonating yet, but the loudest and most prominent voices in the movement vowed to never, ever, EVER support Donald J. Trump for president.
One of the early #NeverTrump leaders made it abundantly clear right away what he thought of the way things shook out:
I don’t want to congratulate Hillary Clinton on winning the Presidency tonight, but she just did.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) May 3, 2016
Reporters writing about the “Stop Trump” effort get it wrong. It’s “Never Trump” as in come hell or high water we will never vote for Trump
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) May 3, 2016
Ben Shapiro, who left Breitbart over its treatment of Michelle Fields after her run=in with Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, had some choice words:
You’re a conspiratorial piece of progressive refuse with fewer brain cells than your average supporter has teeth. https://t.co/N0a0t9Ozk7
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 3, 2016
Really? #NeverTrump. Pretty easy. https://t.co/zjvtWb0jUB
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 3, 2016
Speaking of Fields, her boyfriend and Daily Caller writer Jamie Weinstein pointed out that he’ll support Hillary over Trump:
GOP field was seemingly strong, but given what we now know about the electorate this cycle, needed some1 like Gary Busey to stop Trump
— Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) May 4, 2016
I’m a lifelong conservative, but Hillary is preferable to Trump just like Malaria is preferable to Ebola https://t.co/0BVRrqT1aY
— Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) May 4, 2016
RedState’s Ben Howe also let it be known that he’d be voting for Clinton now that Trump is the nominee and that he’s no longer a Republican:
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) May 3, 2016
I am a fiscal conservative and I am a social conservative. That will not change. But I will not vote for an egomaniacal authoritarian. Nope.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) May 3, 2016
If you are #NeverTrump then I suggest you accept the implications of what that means. Don’t kid yourself. I’m not.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) May 4, 2016
I am no longer a Republican.
— Ben Howe (@BenHowe) May 4, 2016
Various others restated their dedication to the #NeverTrump movement, with some dropping out of the GOP, others saying they’d vote Democratic and all saying they’d never pull the lever for Donald Trump.
The “never” part of #NeverTrump is pretty conclusive. I will never, ever, ever vote for Trump. Unless he pays me what he’s paying Breitbart.
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) May 4, 2016
I remain, forever, #NeverTrump. pic.twitter.com/2g5yj3u9f1
— Brad Thor (@BradThor) May 4, 2016
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) May 4, 2016
I have officially de-registered as a Republican. pic.twitter.com/DjRI21Oyvx
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) May 4, 2016
Never. Means. Never. https://t.co/LAZRZ7Bgm1
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 4, 2016
I registered Republican when I was 18 because I thought free markets and liberty were important. Not sure what “Republican” means today.
— Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) May 3, 2016
gee, the alt right Trumpkin white supremacists seem awfully quiet tonight/ Too late, though — We already know about you. #NeverTrump
— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) May 4, 2016
And the beat went on and on and on.
Now, normally it would be my nature to point at them all and laugh and snort and chuckle. Maybe say something snarky about them reaping what they sowed or some such shit. But I can’t. I really can’t.
See, the thing is they all know that Trump is a legitimate danger to this country, and quite frankly, the world. That isn’t hyperbole. If he gets to the White House, shit is gonna pop off, and not in a good way. There are many, many, MANY things liberals, progressives and Democrats can disagree with this group. But on this one singular issue, we should all unite.