"I think she'd make a darn good president," Carlos Gutierrez said of Hillary Clinton. | Getty Former Bush commerce secretary backs Clinton, slams Trump

Carlos Gutierrez, former secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush, has endorsed Hillary Clinton, adding to a number of Republicans who are siding with the other side of the aisle in this election.

“I actually think Hillary Clinton has the experience, she’s been around, she knows how the system works. I think she’d make a darn good president,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I would have preferred Jeb Bush, but I think Hillary is a great choice. I am afraid of what Donald Trump would do to this country.”


Several Republican members of Congress, including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Richard Hanna of New York and Scott Rigell of Virginia aren’t backing Trump. Also, dozens of Republican national security officials recently signed a letter saying Trump would “risk our country’s national security and well-being.”

Jake Tapper asked Gutierrez what he is hearing from others in the “global elite.”

Gutierrez said many are reluctant to support Clinton, but will not vote for Trump.

“Most of them are totally disgusted by the Trump nomination, they don’t know what to do,” he said. “And I think that will be a big problem for the Trump campaign. This is a time to think about the country and even think about the party. If Trump wins, I think it’s a tactical victory for him and a strategic loss for the GOP. This is the time to stand up and show some leadership.”