Gov. Charlie Baker turned his back a long time ago on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but even amid the latest scandal over Trump's comments about women the governor would not take sides between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Baker, back from a week-long vacation in Ireland, faced a new round of questions Thursday about the GOP standard-bearer in the wake of released recordings of Trump discussing sexual advances toward women and accusations of harassment.
Baker has repeatedly said he would not vote for Trump or Clinton, and on Thursday when asked whether Trump or Clinton would be better for the country Baker said he continues to be "incredibly disappointed" in both candidates.
"There's a reason why I said I wasn't going to vote for either of them. And let me start by saying I said wasn't going to support Donald Trump a very long time ago, seven months. I think I was one of the first elected Republican officials in the country to say that I could not see myself voting for him because I didn't believe he had the temperament to do the job. I still don't," Baker said. He added, "Secretary Clinton, in my view, has believability problems."
Baker said, "The American people have already started to vote and I certainly hope they will take all the information that's available to them into consideration when they make their decision."
In the days since Baker left the country, Trump's taped conversation from 2005 during which he discussed with Billy Bush, then of "Access Hollywood," how his celebrity allowed him to get away with making overt sexual advances on women has dominated the campaign. Trump has apologized for the remarks that he chalked up to "locker room" banter.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, however, said on Monday that Baker's early disavowal of Trump as a suitable nominee for president is "not enough" for a leader in the Republican party, and suggested he should be more outspoken against Trump's rhetoric.
"As one of the first elected Republicans in the United States to come out against him and say I would not vote for him, I think that's pretty far out there," Baker said when asked about Warren's comments, noting how he has publicly taken issue throughout the campaign with Trump's comments on women, the media, religion and Muslims, and other policies.
"I've made very clear for a very long time that he was not going to get my vote for president and I think I've been quite clear about that. I continue to feel that way. I find a lot of what he says to be not only inappropriate, but I think it's outrageous and disgusting," Baker said.
Without a candidate to support, Baker said he has been spending most of his political energy fighting for passage of a charter school expansion ballot question and to defeat a ballot question that would legalize the adult use of marijuana.
He has also been holding events and fundraisers for numerous Republicans running in Massachusetts for legislative offices.
