USA Today Slams Trump in First-Ever Endorsement

Paper urges people to vote for any other candidate
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 30, 2016 1:15 AM CDT
USA Today Makes First Endorsement Ever: Anyone But Trump
A USA Today newspaper box is shown outside a restaurant in Charlotte, NC.   (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

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.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X