July 31, 2023

Former President Donald Trump no longer has the charisma or whatever drew people to him to run for the presidency. Out of the dozens of former Cabinet officials under Trump's administration, most have declined to publicly support the twice-indicted president's third bid for the White House, except for four. Only four.

Via NBC News:

NBC News reached out to 44 of the dozens of people who served in Trump's Cabinet over his term in office. Most declined to comment or ignored the requests. A total of four have said publicly they support his run for re-election. Several have been coy about where they stand, stopping short of endorsing Trump with the GOP primary race underway. Then there are those who outright oppose his bid for the GOP nomination or are adamant that they don't want him back in power.

"I have made clear that I strongly oppose Trump for the nomination and will not endorse Trump," former Attorney General Bill Barr told NBC News. Asked how he would vote if the general election pits Trump against President Joe Biden, a Democrat, Barr said: "I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it."

The Trump campaign declined to comment beyond pointing to three former Cabinet members as people to contact — one of whom has endorsed Trump and two others who, when asked, didn't commit to endorsing him at this time.

That's the opposite of a ringing endorsement.

A president's Cabinet gets a unique window into his priorities, temperament and managerial style. Tasked with running the administration day-to-day, Cabinet members see first-hand the impact of policies he touted on the campaign trail and put forward in office. They sit with him in regular meetings at the White House, listen to him vent and act as surrogates, crisscrossing the country to amplify his message.

I think this country has overdosed on Trumpism. Sure, his rabid supporters are still behind him, but he won't be able to bring in the numbers he once did on Election Day.

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