‘We normalized a criminal’: A former Trump-supporting Republican lawyer speaks out against Trump’s re-ele​​ction

George T. Conway III, an American lawyer previously married to former Trump political consultant Kellyanne Conway, has come forward, objecting to Trump’s re-election and addressing his past in normalizing the public’s unhinged behavior. 

In his essay, “America Did This to Itself,” published in The Atlantic on November 6, Conway wrote about the blissful ignorance of Trump supporters in 2016 and their willful ignorance in 2024. 

He also told MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, “We normalized a sociopath. We normalized a criminal, […] We became used to a person who has no belief in the rule of law, no belief in democracy … unless he wins, no belief in anything other than himself.”

George Conway has also repeatedly taken to X (formerly Twitter) with his views on this past election. His feed is full of reposts from other Trump opposers, including Vice President Kamala Harris and the account Republicans Against Trump. On the same day his essay in The Atlantic was published, Conway posted, “I will forever remain deeply ashamed of having supported the winning presidential candidate in 2016. But I shall always be extremely proud of having supported the losing candidate in 2024.”

Leading up to the 2024 United States presidential election, many former Trump supporters came out of the woodwork to discourage citizens from voting for Donald Trump. Over 200 former Republican presidential staffers endorsed Kamala Harris in an open letter. Conway clearly isn’t alone in his views.

Part of Conway’s main criticisms of Trump voters is their misguided assumption that President-elect Donald Trump will be able to restore the economy to pre-pandemic prices. The misconception that Trump’s administration will help the lower and middle classes is a fallacy considering his loyalty to the multi-million and billionaires who are the leading cause of inflation. Conway explained, “Maybe there are voters who have convinced themselves that the price of eggs is somehow something that Trump will actually be able to fix and restore back to what it was five years ago,” he said. “But they’re going to be sorely disappointed.” President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign strategy seemed to mainly include yelling outright lies at rallies about the cost of living crisis, immigrants, women’s rights, and the economy. 

In The Atlantic essay, George Conway also wrote about his understanding of Donald Trump’s rapidly decaying mental stability. This concern has been raised by several other political analysts as well. In an article published in October by Forbes, reporter Sara Dorn explained that the main signal of Trump’s declining health is his increasingly incoherent speeches, which have left both his supporters and adversaries confused. 

In blatant terms, George Conway says this next Republican presidency is “[…] not going to turn out very well.” This is a solid consensus for how many Democrats, Leftists, Independents, and even some Republicans feel going into 2025.