Donald Trump “would be the most reckless president” in U.S. history

BBC.com reported on August 8, that an open letter signed by 50 Republican national security experts warned that party nominee Donald Trump “would be the most reckless president” in US history.

The group – which includes the former CIA director Michael Hayden – said Mr Trump “lacks the character, values and experience” to be president.

Many of the signatories had declined to sign a similar note in March.

“None of us will vote for Donald Trump,” the letter states.

The letter comes after a number of high-profile Republicans have stepped forward to disown Mr Trump.

Mr Trump has broke with years of Republican foreign policy on a number of occasions.

The candidate has questioned the whether US should honour its commitments to Nato, endorsed the use of torture and suggested that South Korea and Japan should arm themselves with nuclear weapons.

“He weakens US moral authority as the leader of the free world,” the letter read.

“He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the US Constitution, US laws, and US institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent judiciary.”

Also among those who signed the letter was John Negroponte, the first director of national intelligence and later deputy secretary of state; Robert B Zoellick, who was also a former deputy secretary of state and former president of the World Bank; and two former secretaries of homeland security, Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff. Along with Republicans:

Barbara Bush, former first lady
Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, 2016 presidential candidate
William Cohen, former secretary of defence
Jeff Flake, Arizona senator
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina senator, 2016 presidential candidate
Larry Hogan, Maryland governor
John Kasich, Ohio governor, 2016 presidential candidate
Mark Kirk, Illinois senator
Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, 2012 Republican presidential nominee
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida congresswoman