Donald Trump

Colin Powell, 83, did not vote for Donald Trump, 73, in 2016. In an interview with Jake Tapper, 51, of CNN on “State of the Union” on June 7, 2020, the former Republican Secretary of State explained why he is not voting again for the president of the United States.

Powell told Tapper that Trump is a habitual liar who is drifting away from the Constitution. The retired general said, “We have a Constitution and we have to follow that Constitution and the president’s drifted away from it.”

Trump was quick to respond to Powell’s criticisms. The U.S. president took to Twitter to criticize his critic.

While the U.S. is battling against the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the country is also dealing with Black Lives Matter protests against police violence following the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, who are all African American. Powell praised the military leaders who have recently spoken out against Trump’s strongman approach to the protests.

“I think what we’re seeing now is (the most) massive protest movement I have ever seen in my life,” Powell told Tapper. “I think it suggests the country is getting wise to this and we’re not going to put up with it anymore.”

From January 20, 2001 to January 26, 2005, Powell served as the 65th U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush. This made the retired general the first African American secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As the Republican nominee, Trump is seeking reelection as he runs against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 77, in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. On November 3, 2020, voters will select presidential electors, who will vote on December 14, 2020, and the 46th U.S. president will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021.

According to Powell, he is very close to Biden “on a social matter and on a political matter.” As expected, the retired general supports the man who will prohibit Trump from being reelected.

“I worked with him for 35 (to) 40 years and he is now the candidate and I will be voting for him,” Powell said of Biden. The former U.S. vice president took to Twitter to express his gratitude.

Born on April 5, 1937 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Powell, Powell is the son of  Luther Theophilus Powell and Maud Arial McKoy Powell. The parents are Jamaican immigrants who both of mixed African and Scottish ancestry.

In 1958, Powell received his bachelor’s degree in geology from the City College of New York in New York City. In 1971, he received his MBA from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., USA.