In an interview with Chris Ryan, Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois, discusses the current state of the GOP.
Congressman Kinzinger, who served as a pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan, holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. He has been in the House of Representatives since 2011. Adam Kinzinger is a Republican who has acted independently and has, at times, been critical of President Trump.
In his opinion, Congressman Kinzinger believes that his party is in a very confused state.
“Over the last four years, the Republican Party has been taken advantage of. It’s deep patriotic and conservative roots have been twisted and manipulated to fit one man’s agenda and to fit a fear-based fund-raising scheme.”
Congressman Kinzinger feels that the GOP needs to recognize where they are and then figure out what they want to be. In early 2021, a few weeks after the 2021 Capitol riot, Kinzinger launched the Country First PAC, as a means to reform the Republican Party and distance itself from far-right conspiracies, including QAnon.
In addition to the divisions within the Republican Party, Congressman Kinzinger is concerned with the lack of communication in our country.
“The biggest threat to this country is our inability to talk to each other. We need to start voting based on how do we restore our ability to do dialogue in this country. That is our most existential threat.”
To the Republican politicians who are fearful of losing support from Trump voters, Congressman Kinzinger calls on them to be brave, and he points out that Trump also lost suburban voters that used to support Republicans.
Although he fell short of throwing his own hat into the 2024 Presidential Race, Congressman Kinzinger did discuss the three lanes for Republican candidates—the Trump supporters like Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, the middle of the roaders like Nicky Haley, and a third lane which could slide into the nomination while the other candidates cancel each other out like Trump did in 2016.
“By 2024, I think that the party will be done with Donald Trump. You could see these people fighting for that 80% that would vote for a Donald Trump like candidate and the one with the 1/5 coming through and making it.”
In the conclusion of the interview, Congressman Kitzinger gave a positive assessment of the Biden Administration’s handling of the COVID pandemic. Although he voted against the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and disagrees with many of President Biden’s policies, the Congressman gives the President high marks for leading by example.