GOP fundraiser Whitman backs Clinton, blasts "demagogue" Trump
Top Republican fundraiser and Hewlett Packard executive Meg Whitman told the New York Times Tuesday that she would throw her weight behind Hillary Clinton this year -- both with her vote and with her pocketbook.
"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," Whitman told the Times, citing her strong opposition to Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president.
In the interview, Whitman, a billionaire former executive for eBay, blasted Trump as a "dishonest demagogue," and cautioned against leadership that would put the U.S. "on a very dangerous journey."
"Time and again history has shown that when demagogues have gotten power or come close to getting power, it usually does not end well," Whitman said, adding on to previous comparisons she's made of Trump to figures like Hitler and Mussolini. For Whitman, Republicans had to begin putting "country first before party."
While Whitman said she did not agree with Clinton on "very many issues," she said the former secretary "would be a much better president than Donald Trump." She also viewed Clinton's choice of vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, a popular Virginia senator, as "a positive." Whitman said, however, that she would not switch parties.
Whitman, a one-time Republican candidate for California governor embedded in a deep network of GOP financiers, told the Times that her own donation to the Clinton campaign would be a "substantial" one. Her decision was made after the Democratic nominee reportedly reached out with a phone call to sway Whitman's vote about a month ago.
Whitman's comments come amidst deepening rifts in the Republican party, as its nominee continues to flout any loyalty to top GOP brass.
Earlier this week, Trump refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan or Arizona Sen. John McCain in their upcoming primary contests, after the two Republicans have openly criticized Trump for his policies and inflammatory rhetoric.
On Ryan -- who earlier this year said he was "not there yet" on endorsing Trump before he eventually capitulated -- Trump noted in a Washington Post interview: "I like Paul, but these are horrible times for our country...We need very strong leadership. We need very, very strong leadership. And I'm just not quite there yet. I'm not quite there yet."
Of Vietnam War vet John McCain, Trump said: "I've never been there with John McCain because I've always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets."