USA Today has never taken sides in a presidential election before—but Donald Trump has never run for president before. In a blistering editorial, which can be seen in full here, the paper's editorial board says it has decided to break with 34 years of tradition because Trump is simply "unfit for the presidency." "He has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness, and honesty that America needs from its presidents," the board writes, urging readers to "resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue" and vote for anybody but Trump.
The editorial board says that while it was united against Trump, it was not united in favor of Clinton because while some believe she would serve ably as president, others had reservations about issues including her "lack of candor" and her "extreme carelessness in handling classified information." "Our bottom-line advice for voters is this: Stay true to your convictions," which could mean a vote for Clinton, a third-party candidate, or a "focus on down-ballot candidates who will serve the nation honestly," they write. (The Arizona Republic faced a backlash after endorsing a Democrat for the first time in 126 years.)