Apr 18, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Kinzinger says he "would love" to run against Trump in 2024

Photo of Adam Kinzinger staring ahead

Rep. Adam Kinzinger attends a meeting with the House Jan. 6 select committee on Dec. 1, 2021. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said in an interview with HuffPost on Monday he "would love" to run for president against former President Trump, who is expected to mount a campaign for 2024.

What he's saying: "Even if he crushed me, like in a primary, to be able to stand up and call out the garbage is just a necessary thing, regardless of who it is," said the vocal Trump critic, who is not seeking re-election this year. "I think it’d be fun."

  • Kinzinger has not said what he plans to do after leaving Congress. "I’ll make a decision when we get there, if there’s a need and a desire," he told HuffPost.
  • A presidential campaign is "truly not anything I’m planning right now, but I’m not going to rule it out."
  • "Look, if we’re in a position, if it’s just terrible candidates and the country’s in a worse place? Maybe. But there’s no grand plan right now," he added.
  • "Maybe I would have run for governor. Maybe I would have run for Senate. Who knows? But yeah, my time in the House is, mercifully, coming to an end."

The big picture: Kinzinger became the target of Trump's wrath after voting to impeach him last year.

  • "In Congress, I've witnessed how division is heavily rooted," he said in a video announcing his decision. He told the HuffPost on Monday that he is "exhausted of the same arguments, the same kind of performative politics."
  • Kinzinger is one of two Republicans serving on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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