While Colin Powell says he has voted for Republicans and Democrats over his lifetime, the former Secretary of State has been a member of the Republican party since 1995. But now, 26 years later, he says: “I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican. I’m not a fellow of anything right now.”

He says seeing many Republicans cozy up to Donald Trump over the last four years has caused him to leave the party.

“I don’t know how he was able to attract all these people. They should have known better. But they were so taken by their political standing and none of them wanted to put themselves at political risk, they would not stand up and tell the truth or stand up and criticize him or criticize others and that’s what we need. We need people who will speak the truth…are here for our fellow citizens, they are here for our country, they are not here to simply be re-elected again.”

Back in June 2020, Powell publicly stated he was voting for Joe Biden.