• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Leadership

USA Today Does Not Want You to Vote for Donald Trump

By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Madeline Farber
Madeline Farber
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 30, 2016, 9:59 AM ET
Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C Groundbreaking Ceremony
Photograph by Paul Morigi — WireImage

National newspaper USA Today took an unprecedented stance against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in a scathing editorial Thursday night.

For the first time in more than 30 years, the paper’s editorial board broke its non-presidential endorsement policy saying that Trump is “unfit for the presidency.” In the op-ed piece, the board did not back a specific candidate, but rather urged voters to not vote for Trump.

“This year, the choice isn’t between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences,” the board wrote. “This year, one of the candidates—Republican nominee Donald Trump—is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency.”

The board listed eight different reasons to back its decision, writing that Trump “traffics in prejudice,” is a “serial liar,” and is “erratic,” among other criticisms.

USA Today’s editorial board also said Trump has “coarsened the national dialogue” and that his “business career is checkered,” referencing Trump’s six bankruptcy filings, “apparent misuse” of the family’s charitable foundation, and allegations of fraud by Trump University customers.

“From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this week’s first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents,” the board wrote.

 

The board also condemned Trump’s “admiration for authoritarian leaders” and his “scant regard for constitutional protections.”

However, the paper made it clear that it “doesn’t represent unqualified support for Hillary Clinton” and does not currently have a consensus for the Democratic presidential nominee. The op-ed noted that although some members of the board believe Clinton would serve the nation “ably as president,” others have “serious reservations about Clinton’s sense of entitlement, her lack of candor and her extreme carelessness in handling classified information.”

“Whatever you do, however, resist the siren song of a dangerous demagogue. By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump,” the board wrote at the end of its op-ed.

USA Today’s editorial board joins a series of other publications voicing their opinions on the presidential candidates.

A member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board endorsed Clinton Thursday evening, and just this month, the Arizona Republic, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Dallas Morning News all backed Clinton as well.

The New Hampshire Union Leader and the Detroit News both endorsed Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, which was the first time in 143 years that the latter publication did not endorse a Republican candidate, according to CNN.

Fortune has reached out to the Trump campaign and will update this story if we receive a response.

About the Author
By Madeline Farber
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

A smartphone displaying the Google Gemini logo.
AIEye on AI
As ‘agentic commerce’ gains ground, companies shouldn’t put too much faith in ‘GEO,’ one industry insider warns
By Jeremy KahnJanuary 13, 2026
14 hours ago
AIGoldman Sachs Group
‘Humans could go the way of horses’: Goldman calculated how bad the AI ‘job apocalypse’ will be—and its analysts were pleasantly surprised
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 13, 2026
16 hours ago
micro
Future of Workhybrid
‘Microshifting,’ an extreme form of hybrid working that breaks work into short, non-continuous blocks, is on the rise
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 13, 2026
16 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg
Future of WorkMeta
Meta is changing its performance review to reward output over effort, taking a page from Amazon and X
By Jake AngeloJanuary 13, 2026
16 hours ago
North Americaphilanthropy
Meet the Nvidia billionaire giving away his wealth—His son’s cancer battle inspired a recent $100 million gift
By Jacqueline MunisJanuary 13, 2026
17 hours ago
Warren Buffett on the phone
SuccessProductivity
Gen X CEO uses AI versions of Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett as a ‘fantasy board of directors’ to help him prepare for meetings and performance reviews
By Preston ForeJanuary 13, 2026
17 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Newsletters
The oil CEO who stood up to Trump is a follower of the disciplined 'Exxon way' and has a history of blunt statements
By Jordan BlumJanuary 13, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Tech
Elon Musk asked people to upload their medical data to X so his AI company could learn to interpret MRIs and CT scans
By Sasha RogelbergJanuary 11, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Treasury spent $276 billion in interest on the national debt in the final three months of 2025, says the CBO—up $30 billion from a year prior
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 12, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
The longer the Supreme Court delays its tariff decision, the better it is for President Trump
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 13, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite his $2.6 billion net worth, MrBeast says he’s having to borrow cash and doesn’t even have enough money in his bank account to buy McDonald’s
By Emma BurleighJanuary 13, 2026
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
'Godfather of AI' says the technology will create massive unemployment and send profits soaring — 'that is the capitalist system'
By Jason MaJanuary 12, 2026
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.