USA Today, the top circulated newspaper in America, has never taken sides in a presidential race.
“This year, the choice isn’t between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences,” reads the editorial. “This year, one of the candidates — Republican nominee Donald Trump — is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency.”
In the 34 years the paper has been existence the editors say they’ve avoided taking sides, but this year Trump “lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.”
The respected paper was nothing less than brutal in its reasoning to oppose Trump. The paragraph headlines included:
- He is erratic.
- He is ill-equipped to be commander in chief.
- He traffics in prejudice.
- His business career is checkered.
- He isn’t leveling with the American people.
- He speaks recklessly.
- He has coarsened the national dialogue.
- He is a serial liar.
The paper did not, however, have a consensus for a Hillary Clinton endorsement. Instead it recommended, “whatever you do resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue. By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump.”
USA Today is not alone. Conservative newspapers including the Arizona Republic, Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas Morning News and the Houston Chronicle have all written critical editorials against Trump and endorsed Clinton.
The Republic endorsed Clinton yesterday, the first time in the papers 126 year history that it has backed a Democratic nominee. In the last 24 hours staff members at the paper say they have received death threats. The Enquirer went so far as to call Trump a “clear and present danger” to the country.
Officials at all of the newspapers say they’ve had significant cancellations after their endorsements.
This comes on the same day the Clinton campaign released the names of 40 more Republican officials who have endorsed her.
Trump has received at least one media endorsement, however, from the gossip tabloid National Enquirer.