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Kyle Sweetser is a steelworker and two-time Trump voter from Mobile, AL who now plans to vote for Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election.
Sweetser spoke at last week’s Democratic National Convention as a representative of Republican Voters Against Trump, a $50 million advertising campaign running across swing states. In his testimony to Republican Voters Against Trump, Sweetser now describes Trump as “unfit to serve as president.”
In both 2016 and 2020, Sweetser voted supported Trump’s candidacy, telling the APR that he had believed Trump would be “a great pro-business president.” However, he now blames Trump’s tariffs for harming steelworkers like himself.
Sweetser has also expressed a general distaste for Trump’s political philosophy and finds that the former-President does not accurately represents the interests of long-time Republican voters like himself.
“He abandoned longstanding US foreign policy. He’s embraced a radical faction of the GOP with JD Vance, post-liberalism [that essentially] wants to undo what America is and our freedoms. They want to expand the government’s control over the individual in your home. And many people that are in the GOP like myself, are for limited government,” Sweetser said in his RVAT testimony.
“We’re not for expanding the government and taking people’s rights away. That’s not a conservative thing. It’s not conservative to take people’s rights away. Trump’s record, fiscally, is awful. He added the record to our debt… overall Trump brings out the worst in people with his behavior,” he continued.
When asked if his view of the Republican Party has changed since Trump’s presidency, Sweetser responded, “Yes. The Republican Party is no longer conservative. Many leaders/elected officials in the GOP lack the courage to stand up to Trump [which is] disappointing.”
So why does Sweetser plan on voting for Harris now instead of writing in another candidate or leaving the top of the ticket blank?
“Because we need to ensure Trump loses (preferably by a large margin),” he said. “The 2024 MAGA movement needs to be dismantled, and a big Trump loss, is the best way to accelerate that. Kamala Harris is focused on the future and positivity. Trump is focused on the past, and brings out the worst in people with his rhetoric.”
Sweetser feels that many other Republican voters share similar sentiments. “There are way less *motivated Trump supporters [now] than ever,” he said.
Sweetser himself still identifies as a Republican and declined to comment when asked if he would be more open to voting across party lines in the future.
