Here's why these anti-Trump Republicans gathered blocks from the Republican Convention are ignoring Nikki Haley's directive to vote for the former president

Anti-Trump Republican voters gathered less than 10 minutes away from the Republican National Convention main stage in Milwaukee where the former president is expected to accept the GOP nomination tonight.

The 'Republican leaning' group now often referred to as the 'politically homeless,' are unwilling to help send Trump back to the White House and sounding alarms.

'I'm tired of using the phrase this is not normal, but this is not normal,' said Charlie Sykes, an American political commentator who until 2016 hosted a conservative talk show in Milwaukee on a panel hosted by Principles First Wednesday.

'The Republican party is about to nominate a convicted felon, twice impeached. A man who is a serial liar,' he said. 

Sykes said Trump 'disgraced himself in his presidency by inciting a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.'

Political commentator Charlie Sykes, Principles First's Heath Mayo and former Congressman Joe Walsh speaking on a panel hosted by Principles First outside the Republican National Convention 

Sykes claimed Trump would not be hired by any board as CEO or put in charge of any school but noted he could end up back in the Oval office.

'This is a moment of genuine crisis,' he said as those in the room nodded along.

He also slammed Trump's plan for mass deportations, warning it could lead to a great humanitarian disaster.

Sykes has long been an outspoken critic of Trump and the ex-president's takeover of the Republican party, and he was not backing down in his critique of the GOP despite recent calls to tamp down the rhetoric after the attempted assassination.

Their rebuke is a far cry from the love fest taking place right down the street with thousands of delegates and Republican officials are expressing confidence he will win in November.

On Tuesday, Trump's primary opponents Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley both gave convention speeches where they declared their full support for the ex-president this fall despite taking him on and even calling him 'unhinged' in the primary.

Their appearance was an attempt to show unity within the party and comes as the country grapples with the shooting last week. Both Republicans and Democrats alike have forcefully condemned the violence. 

Haley dropped her criticisms of Trump and gave him her full support in the general election battle with Biden.

She also admitted that 'you don't have to always agree with him to vote for him' and thanked him for his 'gracious invitation' to speak on Tuesday night.

'I’ll start by making one thing perfectly clear. Donald Trump has my strong endorsement,' she said to thunderous applause.

But it appears these anti-Trump GOPers won't be following Haley's plea. 

Sykes was joined at the event by former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, who voted for Trump in 2016 but then ran against him in the 2020 primary.

'Courage - political f***ing courage is a rare thing these days,' Walsh said praising Sykes.

'Three and a half years ago that jack*** tried to overthrow an American election,' Walsh said passionately of Trump. 'First president in the history of this country that lost an election and refused to concede, refused to participate in the peaceful transfer of power.'

Joe Walsh slammed Trump and urged people to 'vote for the only person who can defeat that man.' He said that person is the Democratic nominee 

Walsh said he did not want to have a policy debate.

'You either believe in this moment that he is a threat to our democracy or you don't. Stop there. There's nothing else to speak about,' the former Congressman who went to Washington with the backing of the Tea Party movement.

'You have to vote for the only person who can defeat that man and that's the Democratic nominee no matter who the hell it is,' he said. Walsh called Trump a 'dictator.'

Trump's former opponents Nikki Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention

Donald Trump on Day Three of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, WI

Before Sykes and Walsh spoke, Haley voter Amanda Stewart Sprowls from Arizona also joined a panel. She is part of the Haley Voters Working Group. 

She said members of the group were making their own decisions on who to vote for, but she still would not be voting for Trump and planned to write in a candidate.

Sitting in the audience was Brian Watkins, an Independent voter who previously leaned toward voting for Republicans up until Trump.

'I basically disowned the Republican party and what they've been doing and the way they've been moving,' he said. The last Republican presidential candidate he voted for was Mitt Romney in 2012.

'I was never a deep red Republican, but I always tended to vote more that way, but just the way that the leadership has changed and gone away from all the core principles that I believe in, I've kind of just completely put them out of my mind,' he said.

Watkins will be voting for the Democratic presidential nominee. He said he would like if Biden would drop out of the race because he thinks it would be better for the country, but he refuses to vote for Trump.

Watkins said he was glad Trump is ok after the shooting on Saturday, but he said he does not understand people getting behind him because of it. He said obviously the photo of him is iconic but it did not move him when it comes to November.