'He would make me cringe': Longtime anti-Trump conservative tells why he voted for him

Michael Brendan Dougherty of the right-wing National Review began like many other analysts at that outlet: repulsed by Donald Trump. But he went from rejecting Trump in 2016 and 2020, to voting for him in 2024 — making him one of the voters decisive in giving Trump a narrow popular vote plurality.

In a conversation with Shadi Hamid for The Washington Post, he explained how that journey happened.

"My case against Trump was wholly based on his character. I liked some of the policy directions he was pointing in...