After this year’s Republican National Convention (RNC), former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger boldly announced the demise of the Republican Party on Friday.
The RNC commenced earlier in the week in Milwaukee, where former President Donald Trump formally accepted the GOP’s nomination for the 2024 election with a speech lasting over 90 minutes. The event spanned four days and featured a lineup of speakers, including Trump’s family members, GOP officials and candidates, as well as entertainers, celebrities, and industry leaders.
Following the convention, Kinzinger, a vocal critic of Trump who served Illinois until 2023, took to his platform, formerly Twitter, to criticize the convention and declare the end of the GOP.
“The convention made it clear: the GOP is dead. Now that we know this, it’s time to ramp up our efforts,” expressed the former congressman, sharing a link to his Substack page where he elaborated on his thoughts about the convention.
On his Substack post titled “The Convention Spoke and Told Us: The GOP is Dead,” Kinzinger detailed how the RNC evidenced Trump’s success in transforming the GOP into a “cult of personality.”
“Despite being labeled the Republican National Convention, it bore no resemblance to the GOP of the past. It lacked the party’s usual in-depth policy discussions and platform planks, instead celebrating Donald Trump, consolidating one of the nation’s major parties under a cult of personality,” Kinzinger conveyed.
In the Substack, Kinzinger highlighted instances like Trump’s selection of Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate and the presence of former White House advisor Peter Navarro at the convention, further signifying the demise of the traditional GOP.
“The decline of the old GOP was evident from the start of the week, when Trump chose the adaptable JD Vance as his running mate. By picking Vance, Trump made it clear that he was not concerned with satisfying the more traditional GOP members, who would have found security in choices like Marco Rubio or Tim Scott,” Kinzinger noted.
Vance was revealed earlier this week as Trump’s running mate for the 2024 presidential race, shifting the focus to his stances on key issues which have attracted national attention and Democratic scrutiny. Vance has established himself as a strongly conservative senator and close ally of Trump since entering the U.S. Senate in 2022.
However, prior to his political career, Vance was a vocal critic of Trump, frequently condemning the former president during his first term and voting for independent candidate Evan McMullin in the 2016 election.
Kinzinger further added, “Another reflection of the extremists’ dominance during the convention was the swift appearance of Trump’s former White House aide, Peter Navarro, mere hours after his release from federal prison. In a speech packed with falsehoods, he incited the crowd… As the party is now Trump-centric, the audience in Milwaukee enthusiastically embraced Navarro’s fear-driven message, a precursor to anger.”
Navarro, who had been incarcerated for four months for refusing to aid a Congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, took the stage at the convention on the day of his release, emphasizing the need for control to prevent scenarios like “me and Steve Bannon ending up in prison,” suggesting they would then “control the rest of us.”
Bannon commenced his prison sentence in Connecticut on July 1 for also failing to cooperate with the January 6 investigation.
Kinzinger cautioned that the battle against Trump is not lost and urged traditional Republicans and independents to muster their courage and energy to counter him.
“I mourn the loss of the old GOP and dread the rise of the Trump cult. Equally worrisome are Democrats shying away from the confrontation, believing Trump’s election is inevitable. Considering some remnants of traditional Republicans persist and independents may be turned off by Trump’s authoritarian inclinations, it’s time to rally our courage and might. The fight against him isn’t over,” he emphasized.
These statements come after Kinzinger publicly endorsed President Joe Biden on his platform in June.
“As a staunch conservative, I’ve always prioritized democracy and the Constitution above all. It’s due to my unwavering support for democracy that today, as a proud conservative, I endorse Joe Biden for re-election,” he expressed in a video.
While Kinzinger’s endorsement of Biden garnered mixed reactions on social media, it is clear that his stance against Trump and the current GOP direction remains unwavering.