Kinzinger blasts Trump, encourages Republicans to vote for Harris in primetime DNC speech
Kinzinger blasts Trump, encourages Republicans to vote for Harris in primetime DNC speech
John Nick
CHICAGO (TND) — Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger laid into former President Donald Trump Thursday night in a primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention, accusing him of destroying the Republican Party and threatening to take down American democracy.
Kinzinger got a prime slot in the speaking lineup, coming on stage shortly before Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage to formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination. He was the last of a string of anti-Trump Republicans that endorsed Harris and encouraged other GOP voters who were dissatisfied with Trump to vote for her in the upcoming election.
He laid into Trump as a selfish man who has “suffocated the soul” out of the Republican Party.
“The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man who’s only purpose is himself,” he said. “Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He's a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He's a perpetrator who can't stop playing the victim.”
After developing a conservative voting record as a member of Congress, Kinzinger changed his tune in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. He was one of the 10 Republicans who voted for Trump’s second impeachment and was one of two GOP members of the House select committee to investigate the riot.
“How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?” he asked.
Along with anti-Trump Republicans getting some time in the spotlight at the Democratic convention, the Jan. 6 riot has also been a central theme throughout the four days in Chicago. On Wednesday, an entire segment of the program was dedicated to people who lived through the attack and what they experienced.
“Democracy knows no party. It's a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It's the bedrock that separates us from tyranny, and when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand together united to strengthen it,” he said. “If you think those principles are worth defending, then I urge you make the right choice. Vote. Vote for Kamala Harris.”
