WASHINGTON — Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who forcefully rejected then-President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden on Wednesday, calling the GOP presumptive a “direct threat to every fundamental human being.” An American Value.”
Kinzinger’s endorsement comes a day before Biden and Trump face off in Atlanta for the first presidential debate in 2024. And the Biden campaign hopes the endorsement helps him win over moderate Republicans who feel alienated by Trump.
One video message, Kinzinger said his life was guided by his belief that he was America’s beacon of freedom. “So I don’t agree with President Biden on everything, and I never thought I would support a Democrat for president, knowing that he will always protect what makes America the best country in the world: our democracy,” he said.
“Donald Trump poses a direct threat to every fundamental American value,” Kinzinger continued: “He doesn’t care about our country. He doesn’t care about you. He only cares about himself, and he will hurt anyone, anything in his pursuit of power.”
Biden responding to Kinzinger He said in X: This is what putting your country before your party looks like. Thank you for your approval, Adam.”
When asked to comment on Kinzinger’s endorsement of Biden, Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung responded: “Who is Adam Kinzinger? Isn’t he a crybaby?’
After the Capitol riot, Kinzinger was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the former president, the second impeachment of the former president. He also voted to create a select committee to investigate the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was later selected to serve on the panel along with then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with former Rep. Liz Cheney of California. -Wyo., another prominent “Never Trump” conservative.
Kinzinger, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars received death threats He did not seek re-election to the House in 2022 for serving on the January 6 panel.
Earlier this year, Trump Kinzinger and Cheney attacked Like “two very sick republicans” and “worse than any democrat who ever lived”.
In Wednesday’s video, Kinzinger made a direct reference to Trump’s attendance on Jan. 6, talking about the footage of the violence at the Capitol that day.
“Trump has attacked the very foundation of this nation by inciting a violent mob of his supporters to march on the Capitol to prevent a peaceful transition of power,” Kinzinger said.
“Now it has become even more dangerous. He called for the “termination” of the Constitution. He actually said that he wants to be a dictator on the first day. And he continues to fan the flames of political violence.”
“There’s too much to sit on the sidelines,” the former congressman concluded.
“I say to every American of every political party and of no party: Now is not the time to stand idly by as Donald Trump threatens America’s future,” Kinzinger said. “Now is the time to unite behind Joe Biden and remove Donald Trump from the stage once and for all.”
Kinzinger is the rare, well-known Republican to officially endorse Biden. Other prominent Republicans who have distanced themselves from Trump and warned of the dangers of a second term did not support the Democratic president. They include Cheney; Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is running for Senate this fall; and a couple who ran together on the 2012 GOP ticket, retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and former Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
The Biden-Harris campaign said it hoped Kinzinger’s endorsement would help convince anti-Trump Republicans that they “have a home” with Biden. The confirmation came weeks after the Biden campaign named Kinzinger’s former chief of staff. Austin WeatherfordTo lead the GOP campaign for Biden.
“Congressman Kinzinger represents countless Americans who have been left behind by Donald Trump’s Republican Party. These Americans have a home in President Biden’s coalition, and our campaign knows we need to show up and win their support,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.
“Congressman Kinzinger’s endorsement not only strengthens our campaign, but will better equip us to win the hearts and minds of voters committed to fighting for the future of our democracy and stopping Donald Trump.”