Every day it looks more and more like President Donald Trump's decision to abandon Kurdish allies and give Turkey and Russia the go-ahead to invade Syria will be the straw that finally breaks his unwavering allegiance from the Republican party. With forever-Trumpers like Pat Robertson, Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Liz Cheney publicly criticizing the President, eventually, the exodus would begin.
GOP Representative John Shimkus—a 22 year veteran of the House of Representatives from Illinois who intends to retire in 2020—announced the end of his support for Trump.
Speaking on KMOX radio, Shimkus said:
“I’m heartbroken. In fact I called my chief of staff in D.C., I said ‘pull my name off the "I support Donald Trump" list'."
Shimkus added:
"We have just stabbed our allies in the back. The Kurds go back all the way to the first Gulf War."
Listen to the interview here.
Shimkus called Trump's decision "terrible and despicable."
The Illinois Congressman said:
"[Trump's decision] shocked, embarrassed and angered me."
In an official statement, Shimkus clarified:
"While my votes will continue to support the President's domestic policy agenda, because of this terrible foreign policy decision I asked that my name be removed from his campaign’s official list of supporters."
The implications of an established member of the GOP withdrawing their support for the President on the impeachment inquiry and reelection hopes for Trump are myriad.
People are encouraging more Republicans to ditch the President over Syria and the abandonment of Kurdish allies.
Others thought the GOP should have left Team Trump long ago.
Despite all of the criticism, Trump continues to defend his decision. When he originally proposed the military withdrawal he changed his mind after fierce backlash.
This time he appears to be determined to support Turkey over the United States' Kurdish allies.
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