On Thursday night, former Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) launched a fierce critique of Donald Trump, accusing the ex-president of endangering American democracy and dismantling the Republican Party’s foundational principles.
In his primetime address, delivered shortly before Vice President Harris took the stage, Kinzinger condemned Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and criticized GOP leaders for abandoning the core conservative values that had long defined the party.
Kinzinger declares the Republican Party has abandoned conservative principles in favor of Trump’s self-interest
Kinzinger asserted, “The Republican Party has forsaken its conservative roots. It has shifted its loyalty from the guiding principles to a man whose sole focus is himself.”
Previously a staunch Trump ally and a rising figure in the GOP, Kinzinger’s perspective changed dramatically after the Capitol attack. He was one of the ten House Republicans who voted for Trump’s second impeachment and participated in the select committee led by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to investigate the violence.
The committee concluded that Trump was instrumental in inciting the attack. On Thursday, Kinzinger spared no harsh words for Trump, branding him as a deceitful figure who has “stifled the purpose of the Republican Party.”
“Donald Trump is a feeble man masquerading as strong,” Kinzinger declared. “He’s a small man pretending to be grand. He’s a man devoid of faith posing as righteous. He’s an offender who continuously plays the victim.”
