For the past 6yrs, I’ve helped folks leave the Trump/MAGA cult. And every week, I move a few. Not thousands, just a few. I do it one at a time. I’m not alone. Friday night I got the following message from a follower who’s doing the same. Please read this brief, excited thread: 1/ “OMG! I’m so freaking happy right now. After 5 long yrs of trying to get through to my neighbor Michael about how much of a fuck nut Trump is, the day finally came. He’s out! He listed 2 reasons: 1) Trump’s policies aren’t conservative (he wants too much government power) 2/

A refresher for all those who think Putin never would’ve invaded if Trump were still President. Bullshit. Nobody was softer on Russia than Trump. Trump spent 4 yrs attacking Ukraine. Trump laid the groundwork for this invasion. Putin wanted Trump to win a 2nd term. Thread: 1/ Trump repeatedly praised Putin.
Trump hired a pro Russian criminal to run his campaign.
Trump said it was good Russia invaded Crimea.
Trump made the 2016 GOP platform anti-Ukraine.
Trump repeatedly dismissed Russian hacking.
Trump capitalized on Russian meddling in 2016.
2/

Michael, I appreciate your response, and I didn’t mean to be a jerk with my response. When I said you were wrong, I meant when you said “you can’t be pro life and pro AR-15 at the same time.” I’m pro life AND I’m pro AR-15. Happy to have a longer back & forth, but let me just 1/

https://twitter.com/mcfaul/status/1374763403214946317

respond briefly here with this. I’m fairly high profile, I get a lot of threats, when my wife is home alone, she uses the AR-15 to defend herself. It’s the easiest, most accurate home defense gun for her. I use it for this as well. Also, when it comes to defending & preserving 2/

2020 is about putting country first. Let me explain. People have approached me about an independent/conservative run in the general. I’ve had members of the Libertarian Party approach me about running. I know @justinamash has been approached big time to run as a libertarian. 1/ I know Justin and like Justin. We served in Congress together. But 2020 isn’t about @justinamash and it’s not about Joe Walsh. It’s about saving the country. And the only way that’s going to happen is by beating Donald Trump. Trump is a criminal & an authoritarian. 2/

A childhood friend asked me today why I ended my primary challenge to Trump. Easy, I said. It’s become impossible to beat Trump in a Republican Primary. The party is HIS party, the party has become a cult. To protect their King, Party bosses in ten states cancelled primaries. 1/ To protect their King, Party bosses in most of the other states made getting on the ballot really tough. To protect their King, Fox News and the rest of the conservative media world refused to have me on. And to protect their King, 2/

I spoke in front of 3,000 Iowa Republicans last night. It was like a MAGA rally. I told them we needed a President who doesn’t lie all the time. The crowd booed me. I told them we needed a President who wasn’t indecent & cruel. The crowd booed me. 1/ I told them we needed a President who doesn’t care only about himself. The crowd booed me. I told them the Republican Party needed to do some real soul searching. The crowd booed me. 2/

.@realDonaldTrump came into Iowa Thursday for one of his lie-filled rallies. Prior to the event, I campaigned for votes among all the people in line waiting to go in to hear the President. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. It made me sad. 1/ Yes, plenty of Trump supporters were angry at me and many got in my face. But that’s not what made me sad. Here’s what made me sad: I asked about 40 folks a very simple question: Has Donald Trump ever lied to the American people? Simple question, right? 2/

1/ I’d be really grateful if you shared this thread with anyone who believes Donald Trump is unfit to be President. Four months ago, I announced my run for President, challenging Donald Trump in the Republican Primary. I knew it would be difficult. 2/ I knew it was a long shot. I knew I’d reap a ton of scorn & abuse, and I knew I’d put myself and my family at great risk. But I still did it because I believe in my bones that Donald Trump is unfit, he’s a danger to this country, and he must be stopped.

Contrary to what he may shriek, tweet, and scream about, Trump is, in fact, not a "very stable genius." thehill.com/homenews/admin… Imagine if Obama had defended Kim Jong Un. Even the slightest showing of a defense of Un would've sent Republicans into an apocalyptic outrage for weeks.

But because it's Trump, Republicans sell more of their souls and applaud the "great dealmaker." Shameful.

I've gotten a lot of feedback on short segment I did on my radio show last night, and some have asked that I share it here.

So here's a thread ... 1/ Disagree. Debate. Don't hate. Fight on the issues. Fight on the merits. Don't get personal with your political opponents. There are people who tell me that I've changed. That politically, I've changed.

"Joe, you become a RINO."

"Joe, you're no longer a conservative." 2/

The @ChicagoTribune owes my wife an apology. But I'm not holding my breath.

My wife, Helene Miller Walsh, is the current Republican State Representative in Illinois' 51st District. She's running against a Mike Madigan Democrat. #twill (1/) This past week, the Chicago Tribune endorsed that Mike Madigan Democrat. That's fine. It's a free country. The Tribune can endorse whomever they choose.

But why did the newspaper endorse a Mike Madigan Democrat, and not Helene? (2/)