--- title: At DNC, Adam Kinzinger Says Trump 'Suffocated' GOP's Soul description: The Republican, a fierce Trump critic since the Jan. 6 riot, said he would vote for Kamala Harris to "defend truth, democracy, and decency” canonical: https://time.com/7014204/adam-kinzinger-dnc/ author: Eric Cortellessa article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-23T03:14:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:46:11.356Z article:section: Politics og:title: At DNC, Adam Kinzinger Says Trump 'Suffocated' GOP's Soul og:description: “Vote for our bedrock values. Vote for Kamala Harris," Kinzinger said. og:url: https://time.com/7014204/adam-kinzinger-dnc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb120224c9b088fcf/698a5a2bd07533cd45e7122b/GettyImages-2167177590.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: US-VOTE-POLITICS-DEMOCRATIC-CONVENTION og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: At DNC, Adam Kinzinger Says Trump 'Suffocated' GOP's Soul twitter:description: “Vote for our bedrock values. Vote for Kamala Harris," Kinzinger said. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb120224c9b088fcf/698a5a2bd07533cd45e7122b/GettyImages-2167177590.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # At DNC, Republican Adam Kinzinger Says Trump 'Suffocated the Soul' of GOP > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2fa93292-0204-4d11-a9a7-05d37b6aad26&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: At DNC, Republican Adam Kinzinger Says Trump ‘Suffocated the Soul’ of GOP [Watch (HLS stream): At DNC, Republican Adam Kinzinger Says Trump ‘Suffocated the Soul’ of GOP](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FIbxtxSF.m3u8) (3:32)  _Published 2024-08-23. As one of only two Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 Committee, Adam Kinzinger gave credibility to the congressional investigation of the insurrectionist riot. Now the former Illinois congressman is brandishing his Republican roots to elevate Kamala Harris’ campaign for President._  by [Eric Cortellessa](https://time.com/author/eric-cortellessa/)  ## Eric Cortellessa Senior Correspondent Aug 23, 2024 3:14 AM UTC As one of only two Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 Committee, Adam Kinzinger gave credibility to the congressional investigation of the insurrectionist riot. Now the former Illinois congressman is brandishing his Republican roots to elevate Kamala Harris’ campaign for President.  by [Eric Cortellessa](https://time.com/author/eric-cortellessa/)  ## Eric Cortellessa Senior Correspondent Aug 23, 2024 3:14 AM UTC As one of only two Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 Committee, Adam Kinzinger gave credibility to the congressional investigation of the insurrectionist riot. Now the former Illinois congressman is brandishing his Republican roots to elevate Kamala Harris’ campaign for President. In a short speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night, Kinzinger offered a full-fledged endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket. “I am proud to be in the trenches with you as part of this sometimes awkward alliance,” he said, “to defend truth, defend democracy and decency.” **Read More:** [_The Full Speech Republican Adam Kinzinger Gave at the Democratic National Convention_](https://time.com/7014257/adam-kinzinger-2024-dnc-speech-full-transcript/) But much of Kinzinger’s remarks were aimed at his longtime adversary: former President Donald Trump, whom he excoriated as a toxic force in American politics. “Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party,” he said. “His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness, sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values.” After a violent mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Kinzinger became one of Trump’s most vocal and vociferous GOP critics. He was one of 10 Republican House members to vote to impeach Trump after the assault. He andformer Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney were the only Republicans toserve on the panel that ultimately recommended criminal charges against Trump. Notcoincidentally, neither of the two are still in Congress. Kinzinger chose not to seek reelection, and Cheney lost to a Trump-backed primary challenger. A former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, Kinzinger invoked his national security bona fides to lambaste Trump for abandoning the muscular internationalism that has defined decades of U.S. foreign policy. “How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?” he said. “How can a party claim to stand for liberty if it sees a fight for freedom in Ukraine—an attack pitting tyranny against democracy, a challenge to everything our nation claims to be—and it retreats, it equivocates?” Last February, Trump petrified America’s traditional allies by saying at a campaign rally that Russia could “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country he believes doesn’t spend enough on collective defense. He’s also suggested he might not maintain aid to Ukraine’s defense against Russia. “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing,” Trump [told](https://time.com/6972021/donald-trump-2024-election-interview/) TIME in April. “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay?” Kinzinger portrayed Trump’s behavior and policies as a disqualifier, whereas Harris would uphold the ideals of liberal democracy, he said. “I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution, and democracy,” Kinzinger said. “Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation.” To that end, Kinzinger encouraged his fellow Republicans to reject the party to which he devoted much of his adult life. “I urge you: Make the right choice,” he said. “Vote for our bedrock values. And vote for Kamala Harris.” ## Transcript Never thought I'd be here, but listen, you never thought you'd see me here, did you? But I've learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret. The Democrats are as patriotic as us. They they love this country just as much as we do. And they and they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been. Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6, as Donald Trump's deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol. That day, I stood witness to a profound sorrow, the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transition of power, tarnished by a man too fragile, too vain and too weak to accept defeat. Some have questioned. Some have questioned why I've taken the stand I have. The answer is really simple. Ladies and gentlemen, we must put country first. And tonight, and tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I'm putting our country first. Because the fact is I do belong here. I know Camala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution and democracy, and she is dedicated to holding all three in service to our country. Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental matters of principle, of decency and of fidelity to this n. Listen, to my fellow Republicans. If you still pledge allegiance to those principles. I suspect you belong here, too. Because Because 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. If you think those principles are worth defending, then I urge you make the right choice. Vote. Vote for our bedrock values and vote for C Kamala Harris. 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