Trump alum turned Harris supporter says she knows there is now a “target” on her back
The Republican Party has long lacked courage. But records within it can still be found among scores of Trump administration employees who stood up to their former bosses, at what could have been great personal cost. One of them: Sarah Matthews, Who served as Donald Trumpdeputy press secretary until January 6. In the latest episode of Inside the hive, Matthews opens up about the “cognitive dissonance” she experienced as Trump’s spokesperson, recalling how the Capitol riot became her breaking point and explaining why why did she ignore his support? Kamala Harrisher campaign, even if doing so would put a “target” on her back. “Donald Trump is so much older than me,” she said. “The guilt I feel” about sitting on the sidelines, Matthews added, “will be much greater than the fear I might feel right now.”
Matthews, a lifelong conservative, recalls that from the moment she entered the White House, she began to have reservations. “I was never a die-hard Trumper, I was never a MAGA type of person, but I was one of those Republicans who thought, Well, at least he’s better than Hillary. And obviously I think it’s hard to maintain that cognitive dissonance,” she said. “At a certain point, you start drinking the Kool-Aid and you start to feel okay about being able to ignore some of the red flags. And there were certainly moments when I worked for him — and especially as his spokesperson — where I defended things that I wasn’t necessarily proud of and I almost looked the other way.”
Ultimately, her breaking point was witnessing the former president’s reaction on January 6, when a riotous mob of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol. “He didn’t want to lift a finger to scare away the crowd because he was enjoying what he was seeing. And it was then that I lost all faith in him,” Matthews recalls. “He was not disturbed by violence. I think this is one of the most horrifying things I have ever seen.”
She gave up on the spot.
After that, Matthews continued a less chaotic life in Republican politics, but realized she had a higher calling when, more than a year later, she agreed to testify before the committee on January 6 about your experiences. However, it was not a decision she made lightly. “I knew then that I needed to do everything I could to help the Harris campaign, to get the message out, to help create a licensing structure for disaffected Republicans like me, that, look, we need to leave.” Donald Trump stands behind and turns the page about him.”
In July 2022, Matthews officially joined the team as Cassidy Hutchinson—another former member of Trump’s White House—on the congressional witness stand, testifying about what she saw on January 6. But it didn’t come without a cost; she has likely sacrificed her Republican political career forever, endured countless online harassment, and will likely become a “target” in the event of a Trump victory. “I’m sure there’s a list and I’m probably somewhere on that list,” she admitted, “but that’s why I think being there is to spread the message that, ‘Look hey, i used to advocate this is very important to me. guy. I used to work for this guy as a spokesperson and he is no longer the candidate he was in 2016 and 2020. He’s become even more extreme because he’s not working to make America great again. He’s not after solving problems for ordinary Americans; he is running after retribution and that thing What will Trump’s second term look like?
