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Trump is a threat to American democracy: Colin Powell picks Biden

WION Web Team
Washington, USAUpdated: Jun 08, 2020, 08:55 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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'I cannot in any way support President Trump this year,' said Powell in an interview.

As the US elections grow closer, a shift in power is being observed, and the current civil crisis is not helping the current US President Donald Trump win hearts...or votes of public and fellow politicians.

Following the coronavirus crisis and civil unrest in the country, former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, instead of Donald Trump.

Colin Powell is a Republican who led the US military during the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq under President George H.W. Bush and later headed the State Department under President George W. Bush.

Explaining his choice in 2020 elections, Powell alleged that Trump "lies all the time," and has "drifted away" from the U.S. Constitution. He also stated that Trump, the infamous American President, poses a danger to American democracy.

"I cannot in any way support President Trump this year," Powell, who did not vote for the Republican president in 2016, told a local news channel.

Responding to the news, Trump called Powell a stiff and blamed him for getting the US tangled in the Middle East Wars.

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While it is very rare for Republicans to openly condemn Donald Trump, this is not the first time he has faced criticism in the past month. 

Trump has been attracting a lot of criticism for the current crisis that the country is going through -- rise in number of coronaviorus cases, civil unrest due to murders of African-American community and a sharp economic downfall.

Last week, Trump's former defense secretary, retired General Jim Mattis, denounced what he called Trump's "deliberate" efforts to divide the country. Former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairmen Michael Mullen and Martin Dempsey have also criticized Trump's handling of the unrest.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said last week that she was "struggling" with whether to support Trump's reelection, while Republican Senator Mitt Romney praised Mattis' words.

With a rapid increase in the death toll, number of coronavirus cases and number of people out on roads protesting against racism faced by minority groups, Trump holds a sensitive position at getting reelected in 2020 elections.

(With inputs from Reuters)