Prominent Supporter of President Trump Admits He Regrets His Vote

One of President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters confessed Thursday that he now regrets his vote, saying Trump “continues to prove his harshest critics right.”

In a New York Times column published Thursday, Julius Krein, the founder and editor of pro-Trump political journal American Affairs, criticized Trump for failing to fulfill campaign promises.

“Those of us who supported Mr. Trump were never so naïve as to expect that he would transform himself into a model of presidential decorum upon taking office. But our calculation was that a few cringe-inducing tweets were an acceptable trade-off for a successful governing agenda,” Krein wrote. “Yet after more than 200 days in office, Mr. Trump’s behavior grows only more reprehensible. Meanwhile, his administration has no significant legislative accomplishments — and no apparent plan to deliver any.”

“Far from making the transformative ‘deals’ he promised voters, his only talent appears to be creating grotesque media frenzies — just as all his critics said,” he added.

Krein also criticized Trump’s reaction to the violence at a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Va. Trump defended those associated with white supremacist groups and said “both sides” were to blame for the clashes that left one counter-protester dead. Trump’s remarks earned praise from white supremacists, but were criticized by members of both parties. CEOs responded by withdrawing from Trump’s advisory councils, and two charities canceled events that had been scheduled to take place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.

“It is now clear that we were deluding ourselves,” Krein wrote. “Either Mr. Trump is genuinely sympathetic to the David Duke types, or he is so obtuse as to be utterly incapable of learning from his worst mistakes. Either way, he continues to prove his harshest critics right.”

The column immediately sparked debate on social media, as some Trump critics praised Krein’s honesty, while others criticized it as too little, too late.

Meanwhile, many Trump supporters used the column as an opportunity to double down on their support, saying they look forward to casting a vote for him again in 2020.