So What. Chris Cillizza

Chris Cillizza: Do you consider yourself to be a “Never Trumper”? Why or why not? And, relatedly, what does that term mean to you?

Steve Hayes: Sure, I consider myself a “Never Trumper.” My explanation is pretty simple. When the term first appeared in 2016, it referred to a group of conservatives who vowed they would never vote for Trump. I’ll never support Donald Trump, under any circumstances.

But while I consider myself a Never Trumper, I don’t often use it to describe myself. When I hear the term now, I think of a relatively small group of political activists working to defeat Trump – people who are out raising money, building coalitions, making ads, organizing, getting voters to the polls, etc. Groups like The Lincoln Project and the Republican Accountability Project, among others.

That’s not my lane. With the exception of a one-week internship at the 1996 Republican Convention and two months on a California ballot initiative (Proposition 209, also in 1996), I have stayed far away from electoral politics. I was registered Republican for a while, mostly to vote in primaries. But I’m not a party guy. I’m a journalist, not a political activist.