A lifelong Republican voter who cast his ballot for Donald Trump in 2016 now views things quite differently, admitting to CNN on Wednesday night that Hillary Clinton was “absolutely right” about her opponent in that year’s election.
Texas Trey said on Laura Coates Live that his choice back then “wasn’t so much a vote in support of” Trump, but rather against the former secretary of state, who “didn’t have anything to offer that necessarily appealed to me.”
When asked if the events of the past eight years have made him rethink things, Trey responded affirmatively.
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“Yes, absolutely,” he said. Clinton, he added, “was absolutely right about everything that she said. Although I didn‘t necessarily pay too much attention to the things that she said, going back, hindsight‘s very clear. Very clear.”
Trey explained that he won’t be supporting Trump this time around because doing so means jeopardizing the country’s institutions.
“This election is a referendum on freedom and democracy at this point. A lot of people say we’re a republic. Well, yes, but we have democratic processes and principles that underpin that republic,” he said.
During an October 2016 rally, Clinton warned Trump’s “final target”–-after having spent “his entire campaign attacking one group of Americans after another”—was “democracy itself.” That moment came after Trump refused to agree to accept the results of the election unless he won.
“To me it really boils down to this: we can vote for a man who, by voting for him, those principles and processes will survive, and we will live to fight another day in terms of being able to work through our issues,” Trey continued. On the other hand, he said, “a vote for Trump is to run the risk of losing all of that.”
As evidence, Trey pointed to Trump’s admission to Fox News host Sean Hannity last December that he would be a “dictator,” though “only on day one.” In that same discussion, Trump didn’t rule out breaking the law when asked if he had plans to do so.
“I don‘t know of many dictators that are willing to give up authority once it’s granted to them,” Trey said.
Trey also laughed at the former president’s latest money grab: hawking a $59.99 “God Bless the USA” Bible, which includes the country’s founding documents, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the chorus to Lee Greenwood’s song which shares its name with the product.
“It’s just another grift. I can only imagine what’s in this ‘patriot’ Bible of his. I mean, the Constitution is probably in there. I mean, Jesus wrote it after the Sermon on the Mount, right?” he joked. “Give me a break. It’s just ridiculous.”
