Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) is willing to risk his job to try to save the Republican Party, as he put it.
Even though he voted for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Kinzinger has been outspoken on his disapproval of Trump following protesters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
As a Republican, trying to be anti-Trump could be a “Kamikaze mission,” as Kinzinger, who served in the Air Force and is a pilot in the Air National Guard, says.
“Could be a Kamikaze mission,” Kinzinger said during a CNN interview. “But also could be the thing that saves the Republican Party.”
The Republican lawmaker believes that the way forward in “saving” the Republican Party is by “extracting” Trump, as the CNN host put it.
“We have a right and a responsibility to offer competing visions to Republicans,” Kinzinger said.
Watch Kinzinger’s interview below:
Kinzinger also laid out two “defining moments” that changed his view of Trump, following casting his vote for Trump in the 2020 election.
“Number one was the night of the election saying it was stolen, and, of course, Jan. 6 was the other huge thing,” he said.
The Illinois Congressmember was pressed on “what if” the Republican Party “doesn’t need saving” or “want to be saved.”
“That, I think, is the question,” Kinzinger said. “If it doesn’t want to be changed, that’s a decision Republicans get to make. If that’s the case long-term, I think we will lose elections and will be a regional party that won’t compete on the national stage.”
