In a scathing critique of former President Donald Trump, Joe McQuaid, the ex-publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, a venerable 161-year-old conservative newspaper, has declared Trump a “dangerous man” with no presidential credentials, as reported by Newsweek on Saturday, January 20.
Despite Trump’s triumph in the Republican Iowa caucus and a commanding 48.9 percent voter support in New Hampshire, McQuaid remains resolute in his opposition. The former publisher, who refused to endorse Trump in 2016, citing him as “a crude blowhard,” has intensified his criticism, stating that Trump “has no business being president of the United States.”
Trump, currently the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, faces 91 charges across four criminal cases, yet has retained a devoted base known as MAGA. Denying all charges and attributing them to political motivations, Trump recently secured endorsements from former GOP rivals Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
In a Politico interview, McQuaid disclosed Trump’s past derogatory comments, with the former president labeling him a “liar” and a “loser” during the 2016 campaign when he withheld his endorsement. Despite Trump securing an endorsement from the Union Leader in 2016, the newspaper threw its support behind Joe Biden in 2020 during Trump’s failed reelection bid.
McQuaid’s unwavering stance against Trump extends to the upcoming primary, where he expressed support for Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and ex-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Though acknowledging his son Brendan’s role in selecting the newspaper’s endorsement, McQuaid emphasized that endorsing Haley would be a “no-brainer” to halt Trump’s influence for the good of the country.
In the interview, McQuaid criticized both Biden and Trump as “selfish” for running again, calling for new leadership with “some command of sanity.” He particularly highlighted Haley as the candidate capable of stopping Trump, expressing his belief that neither Biden nor Trump should be seeking another term.
Despite his strong endorsement of Haley, McQuaid acknowledged the possibility that the Union Leader might decide not to endorse any candidate in this election, leaving the primary landscape in New Hampshire uncertain.
