“Power is intoxicating and based on Trump’s rhetoric and conduct it appears unlikely that he would respect the power of the presidency in all instances; rather, he would abuse it for personal and political gain, and not on behalf of the American people,” he added.

Gonzales cited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as one of the “most revealing” examples of Trump’s conduct, saying the former president “failed to do his duty” that day. The former attorney general also pointed to the convictions and criminal charges Trump faces, saying they “show that Trump is someone who fails to act, time and time again, in accordance with the rule of law,” and casting doubt on whether he “has the integrity and character to responsibly wield the power of the presidency within the limits of the law.”