Donald Trump addressing supporters on January 6, 2021 as the riot at the Capitol was underway.

Here are some of the most recognizable figures who have worked with or opposed Donald Trump. Their quotes provide a firsthand look into why prominent military leaders, former Trump officials, and Republican figures have spoken out against the former president, citing concerns about his leadership, honesty, divisiveness, and threat to democracy.

What have these individuals, many of whom experienced it firsthand, seen that much of the public still doesn’t fully understand?

1. General James Mattis

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.”
(June 2020, The Atlantic)
Former Secretary of Defense, Mattis publicly criticized Trump for his handling of the George Floyd protests and for his divisiveness, especially regarding his role in the military’s involvement in domestic unrest.

2. General John Kelly

“The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The transactional nature of every relationship… it’s more pathetic than anything else.”
(October 2023, reported by CNN)
Kelly, Trump’s former Chief of Staff, expressed alarm over Trump’s behavior, dishonesty, and lack of commitment to anything beyond his own self-interest.

3. General H.R. McMaster

“We have to take stock of what we’re doing internationally because great-power competition has returned.”
(October 2020, CBS interview)
Former National Security Advisor, McMaster warned that Trump’s foreign policy, especially his approach toward Russia and China, weakened America’s international standing and emboldened authoritarian regimes.

4. John Bolton

“I don’t think he’s fit for office. I don’t think he has the competence to carry out the job. There isn’t really any guiding principle that I was able to discern other than what’s good for Donald Trump’s reelection.”
(June 2020, ABC News interview)
Former National Security Advisor, Bolton has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s foreign policy decisions, specifically citing national security concerns and Trump’s focus on self-preservation over country.

5. William Barr

“The idea of a president saying the election was stolen and refusing to stand down… it was outrageous. And the rhetoric was the stuff of third-world dictators.”
(March 2022, interview with NBC News)

Former U.S. Attorney General, Barr broke with Trump over claims of widespread voter fraud, calling Trump’s insistence on a stolen election dangerous and irresponsible.

6. Rex Tillerson

“I think there’s no question that there were times when the president tried to act on his own instincts. There were others who tried to persuade him otherwise. He was pretty undisciplined, doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things.”
(December 2018, CBS News interview)
Former Secretary of State, Tillerson critiqued Trump’s lack of discipline and unwillingness to engage with the complexities of foreign policy.

7. Mark Esper

“At that moment, I knew that the president was going to issue a directive to deploy paratroopers into the streets of the nation’s capital… That would have been a bad idea. At that moment, I made a vow that I would do everything I could to prevent it.”
(May 2022, “A Sacred Oath”)
Esper, former Secretary of Defense, spoke about Trump’s intention to deploy military forces during the Black Lives Matter protests, which he saw as an unnecessary escalation.

8. Mick Mulvaney

“We didn’t sign up for what you saw at the Capitol on January 6. We signed up for making America great again, for conservative fiscal policy. But that’s not what we got in the end. We got something else.”
(January 2021, CNBC interview)
Mulvaney, former Acting Chief of Starr, resigned after the Capitol riot, expressing disillusionment with Trump’s conduct, particularly his role in inciting the violence.

9. Fiona Hill

“He was handing over the domestic political divisions and polarization, as well as our vulnerabilities, to Russia.”
(October 2021, interview with NPR)
Former official at the U.S. National Security Council, specializing in Russian and European affairs, Hill criticized Trump for undermining U.S. interests in favor of Russia and amplifying internal divisions that she believed weakened America.

10. Anthony Scaramucci

“Trump is crazy. He’s nuts. He’s completely nuts… If he had a business in New York, he would be out of business.”
(August 2019, Axios interview)
Former White House Director of Communications from July 21 until his termination on July 31, 2017, Scaramucci has called Trump unfit for office and criticized his management style, drawing from his short tenure as Trump’s Communications Director.

Republican Figures and Staffers

11. Stuart Stevens

“Trump is a symptom of a party that has lost its moral compass. The issue isn’t whether Trump wins or loses, but how low will the Republican Party sink?”
(July 2020, It Was All a Lie)
Stevens, a former Romney strategist, believes Trump reflects a deeper moral collapse within the Republican Party.

12. Steve Schmidt

“Donald Trump has been the worst president this country has ever had. He is a vile man. He is an utterly corrupt man.”
(June 2020, MSNBC interview)
Schmidt, former McCain campaign advisor, has continuously condemned Trump for his disregard of democratic norms and decency.

13. Nicolle Wallace

“Donald Trump should not be president. Period. There’s not a ‘but’… This is someone who has been unstable and dangerous from Day One.”
(November 2019, The View interview)
Wallace, a former Republican staffer, has voiced strong opposition to Trump’s behavior and approach to governance, emphasizing his unsuitability for office.

14. Liz Cheney

“President Trump summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack… There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”
(January 2021, statement following January 6 attack)
Former Wyoming U.S. Representative and vice chair of the House Investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, Liz Cheney condemned Trump’s role in the riot and has been one of the most prominent Republicans warning of the dangers of his influence on the party and the country.

15. Adam Kinzinger

“There’s no middle ground anymore… I think the country needs to see that there are some of us that are willing to risk our jobs, because our country, our Constitution, our democracy is far more important.”
(January 2021, The Atlantic)
Kinzinger, served as lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, and as a U.S representative from Illinois is one of the few Republicans to vote for Trump’s second impeachment, has repeatedly warned about Trump’s anti-democratic tendencies.

This election is not about Democrat or Republican or Independent. It’s about Right v. Wrong.

Donald Trump is the wrong choice to be President.