Donald Trump's estranged niece has welcomed the "positive news" that former Georgia Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan announced he'll be voting for President Joe Biden in this year's election over her uncle.
With Biden and Trump expected to face off this November as presumptive nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, Duncan wrote in an opinion column published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday that he will be voting against the former president.
"It's disappointing to watch an increasing number of Republicans fall in line behind former president Donald Trump," Duncan wrote. "Yes, elections are a binary choice. Yes, serious questions linger about President Biden's ability to serve until the age of 86. His progressive policies aren't to conservatives' liking.
"But the GOP will never rebuild until we move on from the Trump era, leaving conservative (but not angry) Republicans like me no choice but to pull the lever for Biden."
"At the same time, we should work to elect GOP congressional majorities to block his [Trump's] second-term legislative agenda and provide a check and balance," Duncan said.
Duncan added that "the healing of the Republican Party cannot begin with Trump as president" and that come November he will be "voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass."
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Donald Trump and Biden via email for comment.
Mary Trump—daughter of Donald Trump's late brother Fred Trump—has weighed in on Duncan's announcement on Substack on Monday. In a post titled "Endorsement of Biden Burns Donald," the psychologist vowed to share "as much positive news with you as I can, until the day we find out that Donald Trump is never going to step foot in the White House again."
Sharing the news and an excerpt from Duncan's op-ed, Mary Trump wrote: "This is what country over party means.
"Duncan is no liberal. Not only is he a lifelong Republican, he is an extremely conservative one. His bold decision to cross party lines in the upcoming election, which in today's climate can be seen as brave, is a significant departure from the usual Republican strategy of remaining in lock step no matter what.
"This break with Donald—and the party—is a sign of more positive things to come."
Mary Trump, who is a frequent critic of her uncle, went on: "Duncan's announcement is a reminder that it is possible to cross party lines for the greater good, a message that should resonate with anyone who genuinely cares about our country, regardless of their political affiliation.
"We need many more Republicans to drop their toxic absolutism, and follow his lead. There is too much at stake."
Duncan, who is now a CNN contributor, has previously spoken out against the former president. Duncan infuriated Donald Trump supporters after the 2020 election by refusing to back attempts to reverse the outcome in Georgia, later accusing the then-president of spreading "10 weeks of misinformation." In May 2021, Duncan announced he wouldn't be standing for reelection in the 2022 midterms.
Donald Trump was indicted in August 2023 by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after an early January 2021 phone call he had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking to "find me 11,780 votes" so he could be declared the winner in Georgia instead of Biden. The former president has maintained his innocence in the case and said it is politically motivated.
Some of Donald Trump's former officials and Cabinet members have appeared to move away from him, refusing to endorse his bid for a second term in the White House. In an interview with Fox News earlier this year, former Vice President Mike Pence said: "It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year."
"Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years, and that's why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign," Pence said.
Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr and erstwhile White House chief of staff John Kelly have also declined to endorse Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
