Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger shares the difficulties of condemning President Trump as a Republican in his new documentary, “The Last Republican.” The film is directed by Steve Pink (“Hot Tub Time Machine”), whose liberal ideology often clashes with Kinzinger. Yet the conflict lends to a rather intimate and comedic rapport between the two.
Audiences follow Kinzinger through his last 14 months in office, specifically his tenure on the January 6th committee. Kinzinger gained national interest after being one of the very few Republicans to condemn the insurrection that occurred on January 6, 2021, and audiences follow Kinzinger through his last 14 months in office, specifically his tenure on the January 6 Attack committee.
In an official statement mere hours after the Capitol raids, Kinzinger claimed it was a “coup attempt with the purpose of overturning the election of a duly elected president.”
The backlash was brutal and swift, as explored in the film. Kinzinger received a letter from several members of his extended family calling him a “disappointment to [them] and God.”
“My family intends well. They truly believe that God is on the side of Donald Trump. But they’ve been abused, and they’ve been manipulated by Fox News, by Donald Trump,” Kinzinger said to North by Northwestern. “Jesus’s words are not ‘Shut the border down.’ It’s not be divisive, be angry.”
While this was public knowledge before, the film dives deeper into how detrimental this was to Kinzinger’s daily life. Capitol police checked on his staff every hour on the dot, assuring not only their physical safety but their mental well-being, also. The office’s phone was bombarded with pro-Trump callers, many of whom were threatening physical harm to the Congressman and his family.
“We’re gonna get you. We’re coming to your house,” one anonymous caller said. Kinzinger, an Iraq war veteran, quickly hired 24/7 security on his Illinois home to protect his pregnant wife.
“99% of Republicans back then believed Trump was a threat to democracy,” Kinzinger said at a press screening in New York. He admits he was genuinely shocked at how they rallied around President Trump regardless.
“All of us believed Trump was done,” he said. “Nobody in that three-week window was standing up and saying we need to support Donald Trump.”
According to Kinzinger, that all changed when the Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy took a trip to Mar-a-Lago. Kinzinger said McCarthy knew taking on Trump would jeopardize his speakership.
“He made the history-changing decision to kiss Trump’s ass,” said Kinzinger.
Despite not having any current plans to run for office, Kinzinger emphasizes the importance of increasing voter patterns as the nation goes through a massive political realignment. He predicts conflict, especially in regard to the education and gender gaps.
In the 2024 Presidential Election, 62% of voters who never attended college voted for Donald Trump. However, only 45% of voters with a Bachelor’s Degree voted for Donald Trump. Additionally, 55% of men voted for Donald Trump compared to 45% of women, according to NBC News exit polls
Zinzinger claims that young men are increasingly turning to public figures like Donald Trump as a model for masculinity.
“Healthy masculinity is fighting for people,” said Kinzinger. “This fight [for the country] has to be won because the President really does set the tone for the whole country. This county is desperate for someone who is inspirational and healing.”
While Kinzinger believes the next four years will be tough, he remains cautiously optimistic.
“We’ll look back on this and say, ‘Holy shit, we were in a bad position,’” he said. “In ten years, there’s not going to be an American alive who admits supporting Donald Trump.”
