Donald Trump “would be the most reckless president in American history,” according to 50 senior Republican national security officials who have signed a letter that claims he would put the country’s national security at risk.
In perhaps one of the most damning criticisms of Mr Trump’s abilities to date, the officials said the Republican candidate had repeatedly shown poor judgement and a lack of awareness.
“From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is not qualified to be president and commander-in-chief,” says the letter. “Indeed, we are convinced he would be a dangerous president.”
Among the many high-profile signatories are Michael Hayden, former director of CIA and National Security Agency, John Negroponte, who was the first director of national intelligence, Robert Zoellick, former deputy secretary of state and Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, who are former secretaries of homeland security.
The letter says Mr Trump has “demonstrated repeatedly that he has little understanding” of the nation’s “vital national interests, its complex diplomatic challenges, its indispensable alliances and the democratic values” on which American policy should be based. And it added that “Mr Trump has shown no interest in educating himself.”
“None of us will vote for Donald Trump,” the letter states, though it says that many Americans “have doubts about Hillary Clinton, as do many of us.”
The New York Times said the letter not only underscored the ongoing concerns about Mr Trump’s candidacy, but a split within the Republican establishment about whether anything can be done to stop him.
It said that many of those who signed it it had declined to add their names to a similar open letter released in March. But a number said that they changed their minds once they heard Mr Trump invite Russia to hack into Mrs. Clinton’s email server — a comment he later said was just a joke.
