Photo: Max Morse
It’s another twist in a presidential campaign that has been full of twists, turns and unexpected events.
The latest turn in the road to The White House happened recently as mega-donor and Republican darling, Meg Whitman, turned her support from Donald Trump to Hillary Clinton.
The billionaire CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced her decision on Facebook stating, “To vote Republican would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited division. Donald Trump’s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our nation’s character.”
Trump is Hitler Reincarnate
Earlier this year, Whitman labeled Trump a “threat to American democracy” and compared the billionaire to Adolph Hitler.
Whitman reported to the New York Times that Clinton had reached out in a phone call to her in June, just one of the initial examples of Clinton’s assertiveness in approaching Republican leaders. Clinton has also reached out to court former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg who delivered at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Whitman says Republicans need to put the nation before the party. She labeled Trump a “dishonest demagogue” who will take the nation on a “dangerous journey.”
Whitman is not backtracking from her comments where she compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini. The comments were made during a closed gathering of wealthy Republican donors.
“History has taught us that when demagogues get control or come near, it does not end favorably,” Whitman said at the gathering.
A significant Republican donor with a strong tie to Silicon Valley technology gurus, Whitman spent over $135 million of her own money on her California gubernatorial effort. The Times has termed Whitman a “prize defector” for Clinton.
It Can Happen Here
Whitman told the Times that anyone who has researched collapsed democracies and thought, “it can’t occur here, is wrong”.
“Trump’s unstable hand would threaten our accomplishments and national security. His autocratic style will endanger much more,” Whitman penned on Facebook.
Whitman’s support is just the most recent in a lineup of well known corporate leaders to have gone to Clinton.
VIR — Very Important Republicans — Jump Ship to Support Clinton
Whitman and Michael Bloomberg are joined by several other wealthy individuals in supporting Clinton.
In June, Clinton’s organization released a list of business owners who had agreed to support her. Among them were high-profile Republicans such as Dan Akerson, former CEO of General Motors.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban supported Clinton last week. On Saturday Cuban made an impression at a Clinton gathering in Columbus, Ohio. The billionaire reversed direction from earlier reports that he would be apt to choose Trump.
“Leadership is forging an agreement in our incredible nation and letting everyone understand that American exceptionalism and the American vision are still alive. That’s what authority is. That’s what Clinton is,” said Cuban.