Presidential races

Calif. newspaper: Don’t vote Trump, write in Reagan

A California newspaper is telling voters to write in former President Ronald Reagan instead of voting for Donald Trump in the state’s GOP presidential primary.

“Today, the principles of the party of Ronald Reagan are as relevant as ever: a stable border, a strong military and economic policy focused on low taxes, less bureaucracy and limited regulation,” The San Diego Union-Tribune said in an editorial this week.

{mosads}“Those are not the principles of Trump, who promises to build a border wall, recommends torture and killing terrorists’ families and speculates about reneging on our debts,” it added.

“[Trump] doesn’t deserve the party’s mandate. If you are voting in the GOP primary Tuesday, write in Ronald Reagan for president. Maybe Trump will get the message.”

The Union-Tribune said Trump should not be president because of his “belligerence, casual cruelty, incoherence on policy.”

“Trump is the great excommunicator. He wants Muslims banned from the country; a wall built around our southern border, global deals ripped up and renegotiated; America made ‘great again’ through isolationism.”

Trump became the presumptive GOP presidential nominee when his remaining opponents dropped out last month. A few weeks later, he secured the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

Trump has frequently compared his supporters to Reagan’s “silent majority,” arguing last September he has given those Americans a voice.

“They mentioned a while ago about a silent majority — it’s back,” he said at the time. “And it’s not silent. Maybe we should call it the noisy, aggressive, wanting to win — wanting-to-win majority.”