Asian American Republican Group Endorses Biden After Backing Trump in 2016

An Asian American Republican group has officially endorsed Joe Biden for president one day before the 2020 election.

The National Committee of Asian American Republicans announced the endorsement in a press release. Its support for the Democratic nominee is a shift from 2016, when the group backed President Donald Trump's first White House bid. The group originally endorsed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush during the Republican primaries and then Trump in the general election.

"It is OK that you voted for Trump in 2016, most conservatives did; we wanted an outsider to rattle the system," the group said. "But he is destroying the whole building. It is also fine you disagree with many Biden's policies. It is about whether America is still THE America. The future of our families, our communities, our great nation, and the World is at stake!"

The press release ended with the message: "Vote for Joe Biden, SAVE AMERICA!"

The group criticized Trump for his divisive rhetoric, specifically citing his statements regarding the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group. During the first presidential debate, when asked to condemn white supremacy, Trump told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." ​

The group said Trump's message to the Proud Boys was a reminder of the "Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution, when the Dictator called on his supporters to oppress all different political voices as unpatriotic."

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing segment of eligible voters in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. More than 11 million Asian Americans are eligible to cast their vote this year, some clustered in key battleground states like Georgia and Texas.

Polls have consistently shown Biden with an advantage in this demographic. A survey released in mid-September found the Democrat with a 24 percent lead over Trump among Asian Americans, with 14 percent of the voters still undecided. The poll was conducted by AAPI Data, Asian Americans Advancing Justice and APIAVote.

In its endorsement of Biden, the National Committee of Asian American Republicans called for an entire reset to the country's political system.

"Our election process and political system needs a serious reform, with transparent track records, due diligence review of our candidates, better ways making our choices, and voting methods in the 21st century assuring reliability, robustness, easiness, self-verification, and privacy," the group said. "Our powerful country needs a reboot. Making America great again starts from all sides coming together, to heal a divided nation."

Newsweek reached out to both presidential campaigns for comment on the endorsement but did not receive a response in time for publication.