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Thousands of people have taken to Twitter to explain why they stopped supporting the Republican Party using the hashtag #ILeftTheGOP.

The topic was among the top trends on Monday morning as users posted their reasons for leaving the party, with many placing the blame on President Donald Trump.

The hashtag took off after columnist Cheri Jacobus tweeted that she left the party in 2016 as they nominated Trump and asked others to share when they "cut the cord."

Author Susan Bragwell described how she left the GOP when they became the "bootlicking, compromised, spineless, faithless, big government lackeys and cultists for an immoral, inept, would-be mob boss."

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She added: "#ILeftTheGOP because they no longer represent me or my values as a Christian or a conservative. They're p***y-grabbing, lying, hateful, immoral weasels. I'm a happy Independent, now. No party owns my vote. It has to be EARNED!"

Radio host and comedian Dean Obeidallah said: "Trump is the GOP and GOP is Trump. Supporting Trump means you support Trump's cruel demeaning of women who have been abused, his demonization of Muslims and continued use of anti-Semitic tropes, his anti-LGBTQ policies, his hateful comments about Blacks and Latinos. Donald Trump not only self-impeached himself, he's now self-removing himself with his lies."

Stand-up performer Craig Shoemaker described how he left the GOP a while ago. "Flew away when I saw behind the curtain of greed & deceit was on another level from Dems. But once they abandoned all integrity & values by offering blind support to@realDonaldTrump, it became a 1 way ticket."

Others used specific examples of Trump's behaviour or conduct to say why they left the party, including his endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore who at the time was facing several allegations of sex offenses against underage girls.

Others described how they left the GOP several years ago, citing reasons such as John McCain choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate during the 2008 election campaign, and one user who left in 2014 accusing the party of being "dominated by bigots and religious fanatics."

Twitter user @tiedtoanight wrote that they left the GOP in 2016 having voted for Democratic president Barack Obama in 2012.

"Leaving the GOP had been a long process for me as I was raised in a conservative household. I keep telling myself this isn't the GOP I voted for in the past but maybe it is. Maybe I was just blind. I'm not anymore," @tiedtoanight wrote.

According to a January Gallup poll, 27 percent of Americans consider themselves a Republican over a Democrat or Independent, down from 28 percent in December 2019 and 30 percent in November.

Over the past 16 years of Gallup surveys, the highest number of people who said they consider themselves Republican was in September 2004, when 39 percent said they align with the party under George W. Bush's administration.

In a statement to Newsweek, Republican National Committee spokesperson Mandi Merritt said: "Thanks to his historic record of results and ability to appeal to a broad coalition of voters, President Trump continues to bring in new members to the Party of opportunity. Not to mention, impeachment continues to backfire on Democrats and fire up voters toward President Trump and the Republican movement.

"Since this sham began, we've seen over 600,000 new donors join our movement and over 100,000 new volunteers join our efforts to defeat Democrats up and down the ballot in November."

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#ILeftTheGOP Trends as Former Republicans Share Why They 'Cut the Cord' With the Party - Newsweek