Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of 10 Republican House members who voted to impeach President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 insurrection, would “certainly” be open to serving in Kamala Harris’s Cabinet if she wins in November, he told The Times on Sunday.
“I love defense. I love foreign policy. And I think that’s where she’s shown frankly that she’s a little bit more hawkish than the Democrats, so that would be a good arena to bring in a standard Republican,” Kinzinger said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where her new documentary, “The Last Republican,” had its world premiere Saturday. “I want her to win. I want her to succeed. The most important issue facing this country, which I don’t pay enough attention to, is Ukraine’s ability to defend itself from a Russian invasion. She’s the best answer to that, and I would love to help her in any way to achieve that goal.”
Kinzinger's name was among those mentioned by political observers after Vice President Harris, in a recent interview with CNN's Dana Bash, said she would nominate a Republican to her Cabinet if elected.
In the interview, Kinzinger, who spoke on Harris’ behalf at the Democratic National Convention last month, also weighed in on which Republican officials he would like to see endorse the Democratic ticket. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, last week joined the growing list of Republicans who have endorsed Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“We’re not going to get 20% of Republicans. If we can get over 5% or even 10%, that can guarantee a Harris win, because it’s going to be that close,” he said, explaining why he thinks these kinds of cross-party endorsements are so important. “So I think the ones who haven’t spoken out yet are people like Mark Esper, who was the Secretary of Defense. Really, anyone in Donald Trump’s cabinet. Almost none of his former cabinet members have endorsed him, which is incredible. I would really like to see [former Vice President] Mike Pence took the step of saying, “I'm not going to vote for someone.” I mean, it's your right as an American to vote for someone. If you literally can't stand Harris, fine. Vote for someone and don't vote for Trump. But let's be realistic here. You really have two choices for president. I would love to see General [John F.] Kelly, [former White House chief of staff]; McMaster Human Resources, [former national security advisor]; [and other] “People in the national security establishment who know the damage Donald Trump could do should warn their fellow Republicans, because there are still plenty of Republicans who care about national security.”
Kinzinger also said he wants George W. Bush to speak out, though he acknowledged that Bush's office has said neither the former president nor former first lady Laura Bush plan to make an endorsement in the 2024 election.
As for the possibility of a disputed election or a Trump victory, Kinzinger expressed deep concern. While he said he does not fear another insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, he is concerned about the intense pressure on Republicans at the state level to refuse to certify a result in Harris’s favor, and the presence of militias that could overrun state capitols that have “one-fiftieth the security” of Congress.
Kinzinger added that he does not believe Trumpism can survive another Trump term.
“No president leaves office with more popularity,” he said. “It will wear itself out, because they will have the instruments of power, they will not do what they promised and everyone will wear themselves out. But the question is, what damage is done in those four years?”
Watch the rest of The Times’ interview with Kinzinger and “The Last Republican” director Steve Pink here.
