Former Defense secretary: No Republican president I worked for would recognize GOP today

Source: The Hill | May 23, 2021 | Joseph Choi

Robert Gates, the former Defense secretary under both the Bush and Obama administrations, said in an interview that aired Sunday that of the five Republican U.S. presidents he worked for, “I don’t think any of them would recognize the Republican Party today.”

CBS’s “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson asked Gates what he made of the current state of the Republican Party given that a contingent of its voters do not consider President Biden to be legitimately elected.

“I would have serious concerns about the future. You know, I’ve … worked for eight presidents. Five of them were Republicans. I don’t think any of them would recognize the Republican Party today,” Gates said. “I think in terms of the values and the principles that the Republican Party stood for under those five presidents are hard to find these days.”

Dickerson questioned whether the recent events such as the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the GOP’s reluctance to recognize the election results give America’s critics cause to say it is a declining power.

“I think there is that, but I think it’s also broader than that,” Gates said, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has criticized the U.S. for its “political paralysis” and inability to accomplish large goals.

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