Vermont GOP governor says he won’t vote for Trump

Republican Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont said Friday he will not be voting for President Trump in the 2020 White House race and would consider backing former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s nominee.

Scott, a vocal critic of the White House who previously said he didn’t vote for Trump in 2016, said at a press conference he’s been “quite adamant in not supporting the president” and affirming “I won’t be voting for President Trump.”

The Vermont Republican had also said earlier this year that Trump “shouldn’t be in office,” and he supported House Democrats’ impeachment proceedings against him in 2019.

Scott’s opposition to Trump is not particularly surprising given his endorsement of William Weld, the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, in the 2020 GOP primary. Weld ultimately dropped out after receiving paltry support in most polls.

Trump will formally accept the Republican Party’s 2020 nomination at its convention this week and retains strong approval ratings among Republicans. However, he’s garnered criticism from a handful of high-profile GOP figures, including Scott, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich. 

His controversial presidency has also led to the creation of high profile anti-Trump groups such as the Lincoln Project, which has launched a barrage of ads hammering him.

Scott did not clarify who he would vote for this cycle but indicated he would be open to voting for Biden.

“I have not decided at this point whether to cast a vote for former Vice President Biden,” he said. “But it’s something that I would consider. I just haven’t made that decision at this point.” 

Biden formally accepted the 2020 Democratic nomination Thursday at the party’s national convention, an event that amplified Republicans who had grown frustrated with Trump. 

“Many of us have been deeply concerned about the current path we’ve been following for the past four years,” Kasich said at the convention earlier this week. “I’m a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country.”