It's been a rough week for Donald Trump as the Republican Party continues to grapple with disunity and how to move forward after a series of bad statements, a reported campaign upheaval and plummeting poll numbers.
For months Republicans, including Speaker Paul Ryan, have struggled with the idea of endorsing Trump despite his status as the Party nominee. This isn't because they don't want to, but because Trump through a series of actions and undisciplined rhetoric, has made it extremely difficult to do so. In many cases for Republicans running in tight Senate and House races, he's made it impossible because candidates cannot afford a direct connection to the Republican at the top of the ticket.
Now, Air Force veteran and Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger has had enough and won't be endorsing or voting for Trump in November. Instead, he'll focus on showing up to the polls to support candidates like Republican Senator Mark Kirk, who is in a tough reelection battle.
"I've talked to you a number of times and said 'my intention is to get there, I want to get there, I'm not there yet,' I don't see how I get there anymore. I actually went to the convention on Monday hoping by Thursday I could at least mildly endorse the Republican frontrunner, party unity and all that. I woke up Wednesday morning and saw his comments about Article 5 NATO, decided to hold off and then this spat, this unbelievable spat with a family of a fallen soldier, a fallen soldier who spore to uphold and protect the constitution of the United States," Kinzinger said to CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Between that and blaming George W. Bush for 9/11 and all the other sins we've seen in the past, Donald Trump for me is beginning to cross a lot of red lines in the unforgivable in politics. I'm not going to support Hillary, but in America right to write somebody in or skip the vote [for president] and vote for Mark Kirk in Illinois, for instance. That's how it's looking for me today. I just don't see how I get to Donald Trump anymore."
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Wednesday on Morning Joe, Retired General Michael Hayden said it is possible he won't be voting for a presidential candidate when November rolls around, either.
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