Politics

Carly Fiorina: Republicans Shouldn’t Have To ‘Swear Fidelity’ To Trump In 2020

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Businesswoman and former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina on Monday accused Republicans of demanding the party’s voters “swear fidelity” to President Donald Trump.

“In this country, we pledge allegiance to the flag, not the president. We swear fidelity to the Constitution, not the party,” Fiorina wrote in a blistering Twitter thread.

“When did so many Republicans decide that we should also pledge allegiance to The Party and swear fidelity to President Trump? I have been called ‘disloyal’ because I am critical of Trump,” Fiorina added. “I am not alone. Many others have been intimidated into silence or compelled to defend the indefensible.”

Fiorina has kept a relatively low profile during the Trump administration so far, but her thread immediately prompted speculation that she could be preparing to challenge Trump in 2020. Fiorina’s office didn’t return a request for comment on her political plans.

“It is not a citizen’s role to be a ‘loyal fan’ of one side or the other. We have no obligation to follow party orthodoxy, whatever it is. When we silence our voices, we relinquish our power as citizen leaders to shape the nation. We abdicate our responsibility to help create a ‘more perfect union.’ And in this country, the citizen, not the President, is sovereign,” she wrote.

(MIKE THEILER/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) (MIKE THEILER/AFP/Getty Images)

Three Republicans have launched long-shot primary challenges to Trump: former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, former South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford and former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh. (RELATED: Bill Weld Supports Abortion On Demand, Endorsed Obama)

Three state Republican parties have canceled their primaries or caucuses, in order to protect Trump’s re-election campaign.

“Every elected official, including the President, is there to serve the citizenry, not the other way around,” wrote Fiorina. “It is not a citizen’s job to ‘be loyal’; it is the official’s job to earn our loyalty. And when they cannot, we vote them out of office.”

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