President Trump on Tuesday knocked former staffer Miles Taylor and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, both Republicans who endorsed Mr. Trump’s rival Joseph R. Biden on the kickoff day of the virtual Democratic National Convention, as unimportant.
Mr. Trump dismissed Mr. Taylor, former chief of staff to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, as a merely another unhappy former employee and a “stiff.”
“Many thousands of people work for our government. With that said, a former DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE named Miles Taylor, who I do not know (never heard of him), said he left & is on the open arms Fake News circuit. Said to be a real “stiff”. They will take anyone against us!” the president tweeted.
Mr. Trump insulted Mr. Kasich — who ran against him in the 2016 GOP presidential primary — on his record as Ohio governor.
“John Kasich did a bad job in Ohio, ran for President and was easy to beat, and now went to the other side desperate for relevance,” Mr. Trump posted.
Mr. Taylor, in an op-ed for The Washington Post, said the president was “dangerous” for the country and made America less secure by attempting to “turn DHS … into a tool used for his political benefit.”
He was also featured in a new ad for Republicans Against Trump, where he endorsed Mr. Biden.
“Given what I have experienced in the administration, I have to support Joe Biden for president. And even though I am not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I’m confident that Joe Biden will protect the country and I’m confident that he won’t make the same mistakes as this president,” Mr. Taylor said.
NEW: Testimonial ad from Trump’s Former DHS Chief of Staff @MilesTaylorUSA, declaring his support for Joe Biden and describing Trump’s presidency as “terrifying” and “actively doing damage to our security.”
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) August 17, 2020
WATCH & go to https://t.co/Nz2NiSCquN for more. pic.twitter.com/iChqOdIIew
Mr. Kasich was actually a speaker on the DNC’s first night, where he urged other Republicans concerned about the president to vote blue for the former vice president.
The former governor argued that while he understood the fear that a Democratic president could swing to the far left, he believed Mr. Biden wouldn’t leave Republican voters that supported him behind.
“I’m proud of my Republican heritage, it is the party of Lincoln who reflected its founding principles of unity and a higher purpose, but what I have witnessed the past four years belies those principles,” Mr. Kasich said.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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