Colin Powell endorses Joe Biden for president

Colin Powell endorses Joe Biden for president

Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell on Sunday endorsed Democratic former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, becoming the first major Republican to publicly back Donald Trump's rival ahead of November's election.

This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sunday endorsed former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden for president, becoming the first major Republican to publicly back President Donald Trump’s rival.

In a CNN interview, the retired general said President Trump has "drifted" away from the constitution and poses a danger to the country and its democracy.

Powell, who did not vote for Trump in 2016 either, said, “I cannot in any way support President Trump this year." When asked if he would support Biden, he agreed.

Later on Sunday, Trump lashed out on Twitter, calling Powell a "real stiff.” Powell - who led the U.S. military during the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq - became the latest former top military officer to rebuke Trump in the wake of mass protests over the police killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis.

This week, Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other retired officers condemned Trump for his handling of the demonstrations after the president threatened to deploy active duty troops on protesters.

Amid the protests and other crises, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week showed that Republicans are more pessimistic about the country’s direction than at almost any other time during Trump’s presidency.

Only 46% of Americans who identify as Republicans say the country is on the right track - the lowest that number has fallen since August 2017, during the Charlottesville protests.