Former Reagan official to Trump: ‘You are no Ronald Reagan’

PHILADELPHIA — A former official in the Ronald Reagan administration rebuked Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night as he encouraged fellow Republicans to put their loyalty to the country ahead of loyalty to the party by supporting Hillary Clinton for president.

{mosads}“I haven’t just voted Republican, I worked in President Reagan’s White House,” former Reagan spokesman Doug Elmets said. “I recently led an effort to place a statue of Ronald Reagan in California’s Capitol in Sacramento. I’m here tonight to say: I knew Ronald Reagan. I worked for Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan.”

Elmets echoed a famous comment from 1988 Democratic vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen, who said during a debate with Dan Quayle: “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

The Clinton campaign will feature several Republicans on Thursday night as it seeks to highlight those who have abandoned the GOP for Clinton in the age of Trump.

“Trump is a petulant, dangerously unbalanced reality star who will coddle tyrants and alienate allies,” Elmets said.

“To my fellow Republicans — if you, like I do, believe loyalty to our country is more important than loyalty to party. If you want a president with a good judgment, a steady hand, and the temperament to represent our nation to the world — and our children, I ask you to join me in voting for Hillary Clinton as president of the United States,” Elmets said.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) fired back, drawing attention to Elmets’s donations to Democrats.

“It’s all just more smoke and mirrors from a convention about to nominate the least trusted presidential nominee in American history,” said RNC spokesman Michael Short.

Jennifer Lim, a director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and co-founder of Republican Women for Hillary, shared the stage with Elmets. 

She ripped Trump for his past disrespectful remarks about women.

“Because the Republican Party has abandoned its values this year, this Republican is voting for Hillary Clinton,” she said.

“In Donald Trump’s America, it doesn’t matter what I’ve accomplished as an attorney and policy expert. All that matters is how attractive I am on a scale of 1 to 10. Trump’s loathsome comments about women and our appearances are too crass to repeat. They are too important to ignore though. Trump can discount our accomplishments. He can disrespect our abilities, but come November he cannot disregard our votes.”