Rep. Adam Kinzinger ramped up his rhetorical war against President Donald Trump, chastising his fellow Republican for his focus on the 2020 election seven months after the fact.
The Illinois Republican, who has emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal critics in Congress from his own party, echoed claims by Democrats that democracy is in peril due to Trump and “misinformation.”
“He is instead obsessed with the fact that he lost again at something,” Kinzinger said during an appearance on CNN Wednesday night. “He is down there obsessing over the fact that he is a loser. I’m sorry that you’re a loser, but you lost.”
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With Trump and his allies pushing claims of 2020 election fraud, the congressman spoke about the integrity of democracy after a recent controversy spurred by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser to Trump, when he appeared to endorse a Myanmar-style military coup over Memorial Day weekend. Flynn later denied the incident, despite video showing his comments.
Republicans need to “get past fetishizing the violence in this, time to get past fetishizing the idea of overthrowing the government,” Kinzinger said. “The number one thing, though, that Republicans and Democrats have to face right now as a country, and independents, is the defense of democracy.”
Kinzinger also targeted Republicans aligned with Trump. The congressman claimed they are doing a disservice by failing to properly condemn the former president, specifically accusing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of stoking “this garbage, this conspiracy stuff” solely to raise money.
Kinzinger’s remarks are just the latest in a protracted campaign by the congressman to rid the Republican Party of Trump’s influence.
Aligning himself with fellow Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, Kinzinger has led a bid to return the Republican Party to the party’s principles prior to the Trump era. In May, Kinzinger went so far as to compare the GOP to the Titanic, then North Korea.
For his part, Trump has slung insults at Kinzinger, calling him a “hack” and “RINO,” which stands for “Republican in name only.” His rivalry with Kinzinger seemingly extends back to 2016, when he relayed a “vulgar message” to the GOP representative.
Kinzinger and his fellow Republican Trump critics were nearly all admonished by their respective state GOP after they voted to impeach the former president on a charge of inciting insurrection in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Nine out of 10 of these critics now face a pro-Trump primary challenger.
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Surveys show Trump still enjoys strong support from Republicans. A recent poll of the GOP found that 88% of respondents hold a favorable view of Trump’s presidency and that 57% would “most definitely” vote for him if he runs again.
