HONOLULU — A former congressman from Hawaii says he’s leaving the Republican Party because of President Donald Trump and the failure of fellow party members to stand up to him.
Charles Djou represented Honolulu in the U.S. House from 2010 to 2011.
He wrote in an opinion piece published in Civil Beat on Monday that he’s disturbed that the Republican Party under Trump has become hostile to immigration.
Djou lamented Trump’s desire to launch a trade war, treatment of veterans like U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and recitation of conspiracy theories.
Djou says he’s most disappointed by “the failure of the GOP to clearly and consistently condemn Trump’s childish behavior.” He says this leads to an “implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed and unfocused leadership.”
The White House didn’t immediately comment.