Three former Trump administration officials who publicly criticized the former president in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol warned in a joint interview Sunday that reelection to a second term could harm democracy.
Former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews, and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson spoke with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl about their experiences working with the Jan. 6 select committee and their concerns about democracy.
“This is a fundamental election to continue to safeguard our institutions and our constitutional republic,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “But if we crumble as a nation, we’re setting an example that democracy is an experiment.”
“Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it,” Griffin said, adding that Trump attempted to “steal a democratic election.”
“That just shows he’s willing to break every barrier to get into power and stay in power,” she said.
Matthews stated that Trump’s determination to reclaim power has only grown, and his rhetoric has become “increasingly erratic,” citing his threats to weaken parts of the Constitution, weaponize the Justice Department, and wreak revenge on his political opponents.
“To this day he still doubles down on the fact that he thinks that the election was stolen and fraudulent,” he stated.
Hutchinson, who testified before a House committee investigating Trump on Jan. 6, cited a recent town hall with Sean Hannity on Fox News in which Trump did not explicitly deny reports that he would operate like a dictator if he returned to power.
Trump told Hannity that he would only be a dictator on “day one” if the border was closed and drilling for energy resources began.
“The fact that he felt that he needs to lean into being a dictator alone shows that he is a weak and feeble man who has no sense of character and integrity and has no sense of leadership,” Hutchinson went on to say.
All three ladies emphasized the importance of preventing Trump from re-election.
Matthews expressed dissatisfaction with the available options in a presidential race expected to have Trump as the Republican nominee and President Biden as the Democratic nominee. She did, however, state that she would support Biden.
“I’ve never voted for a Democrat in my life, but I think in this next election, I would put policy aside and choose democracy,” Matthews said, adding that she is still hopeful that a different Republican candidate will win the primary.
“Our singular focus needs to be, if he is the nominee, on making sure that he is not elected the president again next November,” Hutchinson went on to say.
Griffin and Matthews stressed Hutchinson’s merit for speaking up so late in the aftermath of January 6, 2021, and so early in her career. They both expressed optimism that other high authorities would speak up.
“For some reason, in moments that call for it, women tend to show an astonishing amount of courage, and I credit these women who are younger than me, had not as senior of titles, and stepped forward,” she remarked.
“I think that there are a lot of people who saw some dangerous things, but they’ve made the calculation that he very well may be president again,” he said. “They not only don’t want to be on his bad side, they also want to preserve themselves for future opportunities with him.”
Still, Griffin claimed, many who worked in the West Wing “know how dangerous” Trump is, particularly former Vice President Mike Pence, who she claims has seen the most. Griffin expressed her hope that “he would think about speaking out more forcefully” regarding Trump’s unfitness.
As political violence and death threats against public leaders become increasingly regular, the three women all emphasized the difficulty many people confront when deciding whether or not to speak out. Many people are frightened about threats to their families, which have been leveled at many loud Trump opponents.
“A lot of these people won’t come forward even if privately they’ll acknowledge that Trump is unfit or will privately acknowledge that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen,” Mr. Matthews said. “It’s because they know that they will face death threats, that their families will face death threats.”
“What scares me as much as [Trump] and his retribution is the almost cult-like following he has over his most diehard supporters,” he said. “The threats, the harassment, the death threats that you get when he targets you — and he’s deliberate in targeting — is really horrifying and has no place in our American discourse.”
Trump responded to the pre-recorded interview by branding the three women “ungrateful grifters” who seized employment to profit themselves and have gone “full Judas.”