NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- Meet William Temple. He’s a retired federal worker, historical reenactor and pastor who now heads a Baptist prayer ministry in Brunswick.
And at a large gathering of conservative activists here on the banks of the Potomac River, the familiar tea party face plans to lead a walk-out on Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump when he speaks here on Saturday morning.
Temple said he expects more than 1,000 attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference will join him.
“The man is an egomaniac. He is totally focused on himself. He speaks evil of other people, and as a pastor I could never support that,” Temple said of Trump.
A fan of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Temple said he is angry about previous remarks Trump has made about women and the billionaire’s previous donations to Democrats. He said Trump also doesn’t give enough specifics about his policies.
“Trump is sounding more and more like Obama, ‘I’m just going to declare it and do it.’ And he can’t do that. He has to work through the Constitution,” Temple said.
He said he’d be willing to “hold my nose and vote for” Trump, though, if he becomes the Republican nominee.
Temple said he worked for the federal government for more than three decades before retiring, including eight years with the Secret Service and a stint with the Department of Homeland Security in Brunswick. He said he was then a pastor at a black church in Brunswick called Maranatha when the tea party movement began building steam in the late 2000s.
In 2009, he helped lead the tea party’s march on Washington that drew tens of thousands of participants.
Temple said he has three “looks” he breaks out for tea party events: Button Gwinnett, Lachlan McIntosh or Patrick Henry. He also likes to quote the founding fathers.
When Political Insider caught up with him Thursday, he was wearing a Gadsden flag draped around his shoulders as a cape. It has the signatures of tea party icons such as Herman Cain and former Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Temple said his outfit used to include a bayonet and sword, but he’s had to shed those weapons over the years.
“They’re getting more tyrannical as it goes on,” Temple said.
About the Author
