HONOLULU — A former congressman from Hawaii said Monday 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, who represented Honolulu in the U.S. House from 2010 to 2011, wrote in an opinion piece published in Civil Beat on Monday he’s disturbed that the Republican Party under Trump has become hostile to immigration.
Djou lamented Trump’s desire to launch a trade war, his treatment of veterans like Sen. John McCain, his belittling of lawmakers and his recitation of conspiracy theories.
“I can no longer stand with a Republican Party that is led by a man I firmly believe is taking the party of Lincoln in a direction I fundamentally disagree with, and a party that is unwilling to stand up to him,” Djou wrote.
Djou said he’s most disappointed by the failure of the GOP to clearly and consistently condemn Trump’s “childish behavior.”
“Sadly today, too many Republicans either applaud Trump’s tirades or greet them with silent acceptance,” Djou said. “This leads to an implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed and unfocused leadership as a core part of the Republican Party.”
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Djou served in the Honolulu City Council and in the state House. He is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2012 and 2014. He’s not currently seeking public office.
Shirlene Ostrov, the chairwoman of the Hawaii Republican Party, said the party is disappointed but wishes Djou its best.
“He doesn’t share the same values as the Republican Party of today, and I understand he has to part ways in order, perhaps, to go a different way himself politically,” she said.
Djou was as much a “Republican” as Barney Frank. Not that current Republicans are worth spit.
It was just a convenience to try and be separate from the herd of democrats. No one will miss him, he was useless in his short stay in congress.
Lets see him stand up to obama or Hillary and see what happens to him.
Djou realized he could not get elected in Hawaii unless he joined the one
party legal mafia in this State. He’s a sell out. This has nothing to
do with Trump. Trump is just his alibi.
Years ago, when Djou was first running for Congress, I “outed” him as a supporter of the Akaka bill. I was monitoring a weekly radio program sponsored by OHA, and Djou was being interviewed and came out strongly in support of racial entitlement programs and the Akaka bill. A few loyal Republicans who were supporting Djou had trouble believing it; but luckily the radio program remained available on the internet as an audio file so my allegation was easy to prove. Djou lost support from the subset of the Republican Party who were opposed to the Akaka bill, which might have helped defeat him in the election.
Djou was always what might be called a “blue dog Democrat.” He was fiscally conservative, working to cut government size and budget, and opposing tax increases; but on social issues and especially “Native Hawaiian” issues, he was pretty far left. Regarding the Akaka bill: He spoke with forked tongue until I outed him: when speaking to Republican audiences he never mentioned the Akaka bill and racial entitlement programs; but on the OHA radio program and when speaking to Native Hawaiian groups he made clear that he strongly supported those things.
I would just like to point out that the GOP is not in any shape or form against immigration.
It is, however, against ILLEGAL immigration.
There was a time not so long ago when that was called being American…
tRump is abolishing worthwhile programs and stoking the war machine and congress on all sides is selling us out.
Please name one of those “worthwhile programs” that Trump is abolishing?