Kinzinger: ‘I’m not courageous … I’m surrounded by cowards’

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said he is not courageous for speaking out against former President Trump, calling other Republican lawmakers who feel the same way but remain silent “cowards.”

Kinzinger joined “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday evening, and he was asked by the late night host if other GOP lawmakers feel similarly about Trump and MAGA politics but aren't speaking out or are not as vocal as the former Illinois congressman.

“Oh, there’s so many of them,” Kinzinger said. “And that’s the thing, is like, people will tell me sometimes, ‘Adam, you’re courageous.’ And I appreciate it.

“I’m not courageous, though. I’m surrounded by cowards.”

Kinzinger was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and one of two Republicans on the select committee investigating what happened that day, along with former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

He’s become a staunch critic of Trump and the modern Republican Party. He endorsed both President Biden and Vice President Harris in their presidential bids.

On Tuesday, he said he expects Cheney to speak more publicly soon because she is “so committed” to preventing Trump from taking office again.

“But there are so many people I talk to that are sitting around like, ‘I just can’t speak out,’” Kinzinger said. “They’re scared.”

Kinzinger said that while he was still in office, he had Republican members of Congress tell him that they appreciate what he’s doing, but they could never do the same because they would lose in their districts.

Kinzinger joked that he knew he was going to lose in his district by speaking out, too. Kinzinger chose to retire from Congress in 2023, after Illinois's congressional map was redrawn with one fewer seat, forcing him into a tough primary.

The former congressman said he wasn’t surprised by the level of vitriol he’s experienced since speaking out against Trump and leaving office because Trump has “built a cult.” He said he was shocked by the number of friends and family who have disowned him since speaking out.

“This is what’s happening to families all around this country, is they’re being torn apart for a man that is more flawed than anybody that’s ever sat in the Oval Office,” he said.