Conservative radio host Glenn Beck says he briefly considered whether he should vote for Hillary Clinton.
In an interview with USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon, Beck said the idea was brought up by his daughter. Beck said she asked him if he'd be voting for Clinton because he thought Donald Trump was so dangerous.
“I had never considered it because I think [Clinton] is thoroughly corrupt," he said. “She said, 'You’re not even going to consider it?' So I said, 'OK let me think about it.'”
Beck said he thought about it and compared Clinton and Trump based off what he thinks they’ll both do as president.
Beck said he is pretty sure he knows what Clinton will do, but Trump is an unknown.
He said "it didn't take me more than five minutes" before he decided he couldn't do it.
"No I will not vote for someone to stop another person, I want to vote for someone I believe in — or at least is close to what I believe in. And neither of these candidates are close to small government, freedom, let people have their own opinions, stop the corruption, stop the lies and just be decent human beings," he said.
Beck, who supported Ted Cruz during the GOP primaries, has been an outspoken Never Trumper throughout the campaign. However, the fact that the conservative radio had at one point considered voting for Clinton is a symbol of just how divided the Republican Party has become.
When USA TODAY asked Beck if he thought his party could recover from the Republican civil war breaking out over Trump's candidacy, Beck said: "I want nothing to do with that party."
Then he added: "Is it going to recover? No, I don’t think it will."
Cruz had famously avoided endorsing Trump during the Republican National Convention and held out until late last month. When Cruz finally endorsed Trump, he framed it as a lesser of two evils.
When USA TODAY asked Beck if Cruz should continue to support Trump, Beck said he couldn't offer him any advice.
"I don’t think Ted has any good choices, I don’t think anybody does," Beck said. "He’s standing by that Hillary Clinton is worse than Donald Trump. I’m not going to judge them for it."
But Beck added he also wouldn't judge people who were holding their noses to vote for Clinton.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, Beck said that if standing by values and not voting Trump means that Hillary Clinton is elected, then “so be it.”
“It is not acceptable to ask a moral, dignified man to cast his vote to help elect an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity.
If the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it. At least it is a moral, ethical choice.
If she is elected, the world does not end.... Once elected, Hillary can be fought. Her tactics are blatant and juvenile, and battling her by means of political and procedural maneuvering or through the media , through public marches and online articles, all of that will be moral, worthy of man of principal.
Her nominees can be blocked, her proposed laws voted down.
The alternative does not offer a moral person the same opportunity. If one helps to elect an immoral man to the highest office, then one is merely validating his immorality, lewdness, and depravity.”
Trump has faced unprecedented opposition within his party following the release of a 2005 tape where he is heard making lewd comments about women and discussing grabbing them because of his celebrity status.
Dozens of lawmakers have withdrawn their support, with some even calling for Trump to drop out of the race entirely. On Monday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said while he was not unendorsing Trump, he was done defending or campaigning for him.
