Trump Trades Words With National Security Republicans

On Monday, a letter signed by fifty Republican national security officials was released. In it, the officials warned that Donald Trump was a threat to America’s continued “well-being.”

“From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is not qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief,” reads the letter. “We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history.”

The letter was signed by former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, and many other prominent Republicans from the Bush years.

“None of us will vote for Donald Trump,” the officials say in the letter.

Trump responded immediately, releasing a statement rejecting what the campaign calls a “politically-motivated letter.”

“The names on this letter are the ones the American people should look to for answers on why the world is a mess, and we thank them for coming forward so everyone in the country knows who deserves the blame for making the world such a dangerous place,” Trump said in the statement. “They are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold onto their power, and it’s time they are held accountable for their actions.”

In the statement, Trump accuses the signatories – in conjunction with Hillary Clinton – of dreaming up the disastrous policies that have trapped American forces in the Middle East for decades.

“Together,” Trump said to his supporters, “we will break up the rigged system in Washington, make America safe again, and we will Make America Great Again.”

No matter what the motivations were behind this letter, it’s hard to imagine what they hoped it would accomplish. Trump is dissatisfaction made manifest. He speaks to Americans who think that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Why would anyone FROM the status quo think they have any influence over those Americans?

This is the tragic error that all anti-Trump Republicans keep making. They still think they have relevance. They are waving their hands and shouting on the beach while the ship gets further and further away. It’s almost funny.