Meg Whitman, the president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) endorsed Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States.
Whitman is former Republican gubernatorial candidate in California and a major donor to the party. She is one of the high-profile Republicans who decided to crossover.
Whitman said America needs Clinton’s leadership
In a statement, Whitman said, “Donald Trump’s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character. America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide.”
Whitman encouraged her fellow Republicans to follow her in supporting Clinton. She said, “I urge all Republicans to reject Donald Trump this November.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Whitman Clinton personally asked for her support. She promised to give substantial contribution to Clinton’s campaign and her affiliated super PACs to defeat Trump.
“I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her,” said Whitman.
Trump could lead America on a very dangerous journey
Whitman reiterated that Trump is a “dishonest demagogue” and warned that he could lead the United States “on a very dangerous journey.” She also emphasized that the Republican presidential nominee already “undermined the character” of the country.
Last month, Whitman compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini during a closed-door meeting of Republicans hosted by Mitt Romney in Park City, Utah.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Whitman said he will not vote for Trump. She emphasized that his comments about women, Muslims, and reporters are “repugnant.”
Other top Republicans supporting Clinton
The other high-profile Republican who decided to vote for Clinton in November include Congressman Richard Hanna of New York, Jeb Bush’s top adviser Sally Bradshaw, and Governor Chris Christie’s former long-time aide Maria Comella.
Cong. Hanna described Trump as “profoundly offensive, narcissistic, and word-class panderer” in an op-ed published on Syracuse.com. He also made a public statement months ago that he could not support the Republican presidential nominee.
In an e-mail to CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Bradshaw said the Republican Party nominated a “total narcissist — a misogynist — a bigot.” She also stated, “This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president.”
On the other hand, Comella said, “Donald Trump has been a demagogue this whole time, preying on people’s anxieties with loose information and salacious rhetoric, drumming up fear and hatred of the other.”
“Instead of trying anything remotely like unifying the country, we have a nominee who would rather pick fights because he views it as positive news coverage. It may make him media savvy, but it doesn’t make him qualified or ready to be president,” added Comella.
