CAMBRIDGE, MA — The country's oldest college Republicans club has pulled a Ted Cruz, not mincing a word as it declines to endorse Donald Trump even as party leaders begrudgingly align behind the inflammatory, anti-establishment candidate.

A letter posted on Medium Thursday identifies the move as unprecedented in the Harvard Republican Club's 128-year history.

"Donald Trump holds views that are antithetical to our values not only as Republicans, but as Americans," the letter reads in part. "The rhetoric he espouses – from racist slander to misogynistic taunts – is not consistent with our conservative principles, and his repeated mocking of the disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of war, Gold Star families, and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad politics, but absurdly cruel."



In their listing of the most important reason to oppose Trump, the Harvard Republican Club echoes Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton nearly verbatim, writing, "Donald Trump simply does not possess the temperament and character necessary to lead the United States through an increasingly perilous world." The decision was solidified, the club said, by Trump's rough week in the wake of the Democratic National Convention, which included a feud with the family of a fallen Muslim soldier who served in Iraq.

"In response to any slight – perceived or real – Donald Trump lashes out viciously and irresponsibly. In Trump's eyes, disagreement with his actions or his policies warrants incessant name calling and derision: stupid, lying, fat, ugly, weak, failing, idiot – and that's just his 'fellow' Republicans," the letter says. The kicker?

"He isn't eschewing political correctness. He is eschewing basic human decency."



Rather than back a presidential candidate, the Harvard club will focus on supporting candidates "who will uphold the conservative principles that have defined the Republican Party for generations" in Congress.

The letter closes by calling on elected leaders to renounce support for Trump and urging fellow College Republicans to join them in their repudiation of the party's candidate. Despite its long history, it remains to be seen whether Harvard, home of arch-liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren, can successfully influence its fellow student conservatives.