In a major blow to Donald Trump, the prestigious Harvard Republican Club has announced that it will not support the Republican presidential nominee in the November general elections.
Citing his recent rhetoric, in particular the statement against the parents of Muslim-American soldier who was killed in a terrorist attack in Iraq, the Harvard Republican Club in a statement asked party leaders to withdraw their support from Trump.
"For the first time in 128 years, we, the oldest College Republicans chapter in the nation, will not be endorsing the Republican nominee," the club said in a statement.
Trump, they alleged, holds views that are antithetical to values not only as Republicans, but as Americans as well.
"The rhetoric he espouses -- from racist slander to misogynistic taunts – is not consistent with our conservative principles, and his repeated mocking of the disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of war, Gold Star families, and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad politics, but absurdly cruel," the statement said.
"If enacted, Trump's platform would endanger our security both at home and abroad. Domestically, his protectionist trade policies and draconian immigration restrictions would enlarge our federal deficit, raise prices for consumers, and throw our economy back into recession," the young Republicans feared.
Trump's global outlook, steeped in isolationism, is considerably out-of-step with the traditional Republican stance as well, they argued.
In a strongly worded statement, the Harvard Republican Club said: "Trump is a threat to the survival of the Republic".
"His authoritarian tendencies and flirtations with fascism are unparallelled in the history of our democracy. He hopes to divide us by race, by class, and by religion, instilling enough fear and anxiety to propel himself to the White House.
"He is looking to pit neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend, American against American. We will not stand for this vitriolic rhetoric that is poisoning our country and our children," the club said.
The Harvard Republican Club said the former US President Ronald Reagan would have been ashamed of Trump.
"We call on our party's elected leaders to renounce their support of Trump, and urge our fellow College Republicans to join us in condemning and withholding their endorsement from this dangerous man. The conservative movement in America should not and will not go quietly into the night," the statement said.
Photograph: Reuters
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