The Upright Conservative Who Wants To Hamper Trump
Published in Sueddeutsche Zeitung
(Germany) on 8 August 2016
by Matthias Kolb (link to original)
Evan McMullin knows all too well that timing is everything in politics. The Republican is announcing his presidential candidacy a few hours before Donald Trump will seek to take on a more serious demeanor with a keynote address on economic policies after his week of chaos with endless controversies. Trump will have to share the spotlight at the week's start, that much is already certain.
Why McMullin is entering the race as an independent candidate is obvious: He is terrified that the Republicans have nominated the businessman as their candidate and he does not want to blame himself for having remained silent. “It's never too late to do the right thing,” as it says in his Twitter account profile.
"In a year where Americans have lost faith in the candidates of both major parties, it's time for a generation of new leadership to step up. America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us,” writes McMullin. Compared to Trump, 70, and Clinton, 68, the 40-year-old does indeed represent a younger America. He claims to “humbly” offer himself to those millions of disaffected voters who yearn for a “conservative candidate.”
McMullin has made it clear in various tweets that he does not consider Donald Trump an “upright conservative” and that he views himself as part of the #NeverTrump movement. He accuses Republicans who nevertheless support the businessman of being more interested in power than principles.
This Is Evan McMullin
The 40-year-old Trump rival was born in Provo, Utah. He is Mormon and studied (just like Mitt Romney) at Brigham Young University. Following that, he worked for the CIA for 11 years – BYU graduates are very popular in the foreign intelligence service because they speak several languages after their time as missionaries for the Mormon Church. McMullin spent a year in this capacity in Brazil.
He was an agent for the CIA in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia – McMullin will often emphasize his experience in foreign affairs questions. He knows the antiterror fight from personal observation – and argues that good relations with Muslims in the U.S. and abroad are extremely important in preventing attacks and combating terrorism.
Later, he completed his MBA at the renowned Wharton School of Finance – where Trump also studied. After a job with the investment bank Goldman Sachs, he worked first as an advisor for national security for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. Since 2015, he has been active as “Chief Policy Director” for the Republican faction in the House – the task of taking care of organization, communications and strategy hides behind the illustrious title.
Who Supports Evan McMullin
A group called “Better for America” has been making an effort for weeks to find a conservative challenger to Trump as part of the #NeverTrump movement. According to Buzzfeed News, Rick Wilson, a very experienced electoral advisor, is in charge of the campaign.
It is very likely that the erstwhile presidential candidate Mitt Romney will campaign for McMullin. Because Trump is extremely unpopular among Mormons due to his often insulting appearances, the newcomer might hope to concentrate on Utah. There are also Mormons in other U.S. states, such as Idaho, Arizona or Nevada – even if McMullin only garners a few percentage points, he could do major damage to Trump.
However, observers should be advised to watch for developments in the coming weeks. Even though Donald Trump has lost in all polls since the party conventions, he is still around 40 percent, and there is little to suggest that millions of Republicans would abandon the real estate mogul.
The past few days have confirmed Trump's existing image among his fans and opponents – with Evan McMullin, there will be another politician alongside Hillary Clinton talking about Trump as a security risk.
Why McMullin is entering the race as an independent candidate is obvious: He is terrified that the Republicans have nominated the businessman as their candidate and he does not want to blame himself for having remained silent. “It's never too late to do the right thing,” as it says in his Twitter account profile.
"In a year where Americans have lost faith in the candidates of both major parties, it's time for a generation of new leadership to step up. America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us,” writes McMullin. Compared to Trump, 70, and Clinton, 68, the 40-year-old does indeed represent a younger America. He claims to “humbly” offer himself to those millions of disaffected voters who yearn for a “conservative candidate.”
McMullin has made it clear in various tweets that he does not consider Donald Trump an “upright conservative” and that he views himself as part of the #NeverTrump movement. He accuses Republicans who nevertheless support the businessman of being more interested in power than principles.
This Is Evan McMullin
The 40-year-old Trump rival was born in Provo, Utah. He is Mormon and studied (just like Mitt Romney) at Brigham Young University. Following that, he worked for the CIA for 11 years – BYU graduates are very popular in the foreign intelligence service because they speak several languages after their time as missionaries for the Mormon Church. McMullin spent a year in this capacity in Brazil.
He was an agent for the CIA in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia – McMullin will often emphasize his experience in foreign affairs questions. He knows the antiterror fight from personal observation – and argues that good relations with Muslims in the U.S. and abroad are extremely important in preventing attacks and combating terrorism.
Later, he completed his MBA at the renowned Wharton School of Finance – where Trump also studied. After a job with the investment bank Goldman Sachs, he worked first as an advisor for national security for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. Since 2015, he has been active as “Chief Policy Director” for the Republican faction in the House – the task of taking care of organization, communications and strategy hides behind the illustrious title.
Who Supports Evan McMullin
A group called “Better for America” has been making an effort for weeks to find a conservative challenger to Trump as part of the #NeverTrump movement. According to Buzzfeed News, Rick Wilson, a very experienced electoral advisor, is in charge of the campaign.
It is very likely that the erstwhile presidential candidate Mitt Romney will campaign for McMullin. Because Trump is extremely unpopular among Mormons due to his often insulting appearances, the newcomer might hope to concentrate on Utah. There are also Mormons in other U.S. states, such as Idaho, Arizona or Nevada – even if McMullin only garners a few percentage points, he could do major damage to Trump.
However, observers should be advised to watch for developments in the coming weeks. Even though Donald Trump has lost in all polls since the party conventions, he is still around 40 percent, and there is little to suggest that millions of Republicans would abandon the real estate mogul.
The past few days have confirmed Trump's existing image among his fans and opponents – with Evan McMullin, there will be another politician alongside Hillary Clinton talking about Trump as a security risk.
Next article![]( "What If Trump Dropped Out of the Race for the White House?")
