What Did Colin Powell Really Think Of Donald Trump?

On the heels of former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell's tragic death, many are left remembering the politician and retired military general for his lifelong commitment to public service and the relationships he cultivated in the process. 

Many of Powell's colleagues took to Twitter to honor the formidable public servant. Democratic politician Stacey Abrams penned a tweet that read, "Godspeed to Secretary Colin Powell who led with integrity, admitted fallibility and defended democracy. Deepest condolences to his loved ones and friends." Meanwhile DNC Chair Jaime Harrison credited Powell for inspiring him to embark on his own journey into the political sphere. "This is hitting me hard. Colin Powell was a statesman who put his country & family above all else. As a young Black man, he inspired me & showed that there are no limits to what we can be or achieve. Sending my prayers to his family," he wrote. 

Alas, there is one politician that has remained notably mum thus far regarding Colin Powell's death — former president Donald Trump.

As reported by The New York Times, Colin Powell first publicly pledged his allegiance to the Republican party in 1995, vowing to "speak out forcefully" about the party when necessary, especially when issues of race and social welfare were concerned. Over the years, however, his loyalty to the party waned and during a January interview with CNN, Powell told host Fareed Zakaria that he no longer identified with the Grand Old Party. "I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican," Powell unabashedly declared. "You know, I'm not a fellow of anything right now. I'm just a citizen who has voted Republican, voted Democrat, throughout my entire career, and right now I'm just watching my country and not concerned with parties." But why? Many credit Donald Trump for Powell's change of heart.

In an interview from June 2020, Powell condemned Trump's handling of protestors. "We have a Constitution. We have to follow that Constitution. And the president's drifted away from it," Powell told CNN's Jake Tapper before adding that he believed Trump's behavior was "dangerous for our democracy, dangerous for our country," and announcing he would be voting for Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. 

In true Trump fashion, the former president took to his now-suspended Twitter account to respond to Powell's announcement, per NBC News, and referred to Powell as "a real stiff who was very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars."