Steve Schmidt, a public affairs strategist, played an important role on Republican political campaigns for years, including those of George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Arizona Senator John McCain, working to advance the GOP.
But no more.
On Tuesday, Schmidt announced on his Twitter account that he would be leaving the party he joined almost 30 years ago. The reason?
He won't belong to the "party of Trump".
Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump."
In a series of Tweets, following his renunciation of his GOP membership and repudiation of their devotion to President Donald Trump, Schmidt further explained his decision. He also outlined what he feels must be done to restore the Republican Party and the United States.
Schmidt finished his announcement by stating he would be registered as an independent, but would turn his focus toward advancing the Democratic Party as the only party that:
...stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies."
This is not the first time Schmidt was critical of President Donald Trump or members of his administration or the Republican Party for their complicity.
Steve Schmidt appeared frequently on Meet the Press and other news commentary programs as a political analyst and expert. He also made his opinion known on Twitter.
Schmidt even made comparisons between the tactics employed by the Trump administration and those employed by the Nazis during their rise to power in Germany.
Several Republican members of congress prefer to retire than continue during the era of Trump. How many more lifelong GOP faithful will leave before the Republican Party denounces the man who only joined their party to run for president?