logo
Kinzinger on Trump 100 days: ‘I see failure after failure'

Kinzinger on Trump 100 days: ‘I see failure after failure'

The Hill30-04-2025
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump over his first 100 days of his second term, calling it a 'failure.'
'With the 100th day of the Trump presidency here, it's the perfect time to step back and survey the wreckage,' Kinzinger wrote on Substack. 'And when I look across the landscape, I see failure after failure. One phrase from his first inaugural speech keeps coming to mind — 'American carnage.''
'In just his first 100 days, Trump has issued more than 130 executive orders, throwing the economy, higher education, the legal system, and much of the federal government into chaos,' he added. 'He pardoned 1,600 insurrectionists who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. And most damaging of all, he declared a trade war with China — and pretty much the rest of the world — sending us hurtling toward a severe recession.'
Over four years ago, Kinzinger and nine other House Republicans voted to impeach Trump over his part in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. The former lawmaker from Illinois has also been a fierce critic of the president in the years since the Capitol riot and backed former Vice President Harris in her bid for the White House last year.
While giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last year, Kinzinger said that the GOP 'is no longer conservative.'
'It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself,' he said at the time.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly, in response to The Hill's request for comment, asked, 'Who is Adam Kinzinger?'
In his Tuesday Substack post, Kinzinger referred to the president's economic policy as 'disastrous,' knocked Trump administration officials like tech billionaire Elon Musk, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and went after Trump over his response to the war in Ukraine.
'A failure at home. A failure abroad. A failure in the polls. If there's one thing Trump has proven in his first 100 days, it's that he's consistently bad at this job. Too bad for the rest of us,' Kinzinger said in the post.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

CNN Panel Erupts Over Trump Attacking Obama: ‘No, I'm Not Gonna Calm Down!'
CNN Panel Erupts Over Trump Attacking Obama: ‘No, I'm Not Gonna Calm Down!'

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

CNN Panel Erupts Over Trump Attacking Obama: ‘No, I'm Not Gonna Calm Down!'

CNN host Abby Phillip oversaw a heated debate Tuesday over President Donald Trump's recent attacks against former President Barack Obama, which included him sharing an artificial intelligence-generated video of Obama being arrested and in prison. Trump shared the video on Sunday on social media after his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, issued a report Friday accusing the Obama White House of a 'treasonous conspiracy' by stating Russia aimed to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election. 'He's accusing a former president of treason, and on top of that, saying ... 'It may not be right, but I'm gonna go after them anyway,'' Phillip said Tuesday. 'What is he talking about? And what kind of country are we living in that is actually what he is doing?' Her panelists quickly clashed over the subject, as Republican consultant Brad Todd argued in a seeming attempt to excuse Trump's behavior that Democrats have accused him of for several years of rigging the 2016 election with Russia's help. 'Oh my God,' replied Keith Boykin, a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. 'Why are we talking about this? This is not the issue. You're trying to avoid the subject.' Todd noted that a spokesperson for Obama reiterated Tuesday that Russia tried but failed to manipulate any votes in the election. He appeared far angrier about 'every liberal in America' supposedly believing otherwise, however, than about Trump accusing Obama. 'You're doing everything possible not to talk about the fact that the ... current president of the United States, just accused a former president of treason and suggested a prosecution of that former president with no evidence!' Boykin said. 'That is the problem!' Boykin: The current president just accused a former president of treason and suggested a prosecution of that former president with no You can calm down. — Acyn (@Acyn) July 23, 2025 'You can calm down,' Todd responded. 'No, I'm not gonna calm down!' Boykin replied. 'Why don't you talk about that instead of talking about Obama?' Todd argued, 'Because Obama just undid three years of Democrat mythology.' Todd was referencing a statement Tuesday from Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush, who reaffirmed that Russia indeed 'worked to influence' the 2016 election, but did not successfully manipulate any votes, which has been known since at least 2020. '[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and the Russian Government demonstrated a preference for candidate Trump,' a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Report stated at the time. Gabbard's report and the fake video Trump shared only emerged after his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender who died in jail while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, hit fever pitch — leading many to believe these stunts are mere distractions. 'The problem is, this is what Trump does. He distracts everybody. He's talking about President Obama because he doesn't want to talk about Epstein,' said Boykin. 'He's doing everything possible except talking about Jeffrey Epstein because he's trying to throw up distraction[s] so the people like you,' he added, 'Todd, can come on TV and try to diffuse the issue.' Related... Ex-GOP Strategist Flags The Telling Sign Of What Totally 'Scares' Trump 'Now Do Epstein': Martin Luther King Jr.'s Daughter Takes Aim At Trump Over Released MLK Files Trump-Favoring FCC Chair Takes Aim At Democrats 'Wailing' Over Colbert Cancellation

GOP Senator Gives Trump A Warning About The 2026 Midterms
GOP Senator Gives Trump A Warning About The 2026 Midterms

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

GOP Senator Gives Trump A Warning About The 2026 Midterms

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday urged the Trump administration to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, warning that the White House's handling of the issue could affect the GOP's performance in the 2026 midterm elections. In an interview with Axios' Stef Knight, Tillis said the best thing the administration can do at the moment to address the Epstein controversy is 'just release the damn files.' 'The promise to release the files during the campaign was either overplayed and we got a nothingburger if the files get released, or it's something really disturbing, and that's actually even a more compelling reason to release [them],' Tillis said. A memo co-authored by the FBI and the Justice Department earlier this month alleging there was no evidence to suggest Epstein was killed or that he held a client list to blackmail people angered Trump's base as it undercut claims made by members of his team, including Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi told Fox News in February Epstein's client list was 'sitting on [her] desk right now to review' under the direction of Trump. The Republican senator warned his party's leaders that trying to sweep the issue under the rug by resorting to tactics like House Speaker Mike Johnson's (La.) call to adjourn the lower chamber earlier than planned to block a vote on a bipartisan effort forcing the release of the files will have the opposite effect. 'If anybody thinks that this is going to go away because the House left a day early or something, it's going to be like those zombies in 'The Walking Dead.' Every time you think you've killed it, another one's just going to come running out of the closet after you,' he said. 'This is going to be an issue all the way through next year's election,' he added. .@SenThomTillis on Epstein: "Release the damn files." # — Axios (@axios) July 23, 2025 Democrats have already been using the issue to hammer Republicans. Trump has tried to downplay his relationship with Epstein, dodging questions about the disgraced financier, while reports continue to surface about the ties between the two men. CNN on Tuesday released photos showing Epstein attending Trump's wedding to Marla Maples in 1993 as well as footage from a Victoria's Secret event in 1999 where the two men appeared together. This follows an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal detailing a sexually lewd letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein as part of a surprise for his 50th birthday in 2003. The president has denied he wrote the letter and has sued the Journal over that article. Last month, Tillis announced he won't be seeking reelection next year after he faced Trump's wrath for voting down the president's so-called 'big, beautiful bill.' Still, Tillis has repeatedly said he doesn't necessarily intend to oppose the president during the remainder of his term ― though he's eager to call out what he's described as 'bad advice' from those who have his ear. Related... GOP Sen. Thom Tillis Announces He Won't Seek Reelection MAGA Is Probably Going To Be Pretty Disappointed By Trump's Latest Promise Oath Keepers Founder Pardoned By Trump Warns Of 'Trouble' Over Lack Of Epstein Files

More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 21 overnight
More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 21 overnight

Los Angeles Times

time7 minutes ago

  • Los Angeles Times

More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 21 overnight

DEIR A -BALAH, Gaza Strip — More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 21 people overnight, according to local health officials. The Trump administration's Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was meanwhile set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and offensive, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by U.N. agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal, while Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. In an open letter, 115 organizations, including major international aid groups like Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps and Save the Children, said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away.' It blamed Israeli restrictions and 'massacres' at aid distribution points. Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated. 'The government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the letter said. Israel's Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism and accused the groups of 'echoing Hamas' propaganda.' It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks to enter Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the United Nations. That's an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500-600 trucks a day the U.N. says are needed, and which entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. The U.N. says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, ongoing fighting, and a breakdown of law and order. An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversy. An official familiar with ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was travelling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday to discuss the state of the talks. The official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations. U.S. officials said Witkoff planned to head to Europe this week. The State Department spokesperson said he was headed to the Middle East in a sign that momentum may be building toward a deal. The evolving deal, which is still being hammered out, is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Strikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 21 people, more than half of them women and children, according to local health officials. One of the strikes hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant, and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualties. Another strike hit an apartment in northern Gaza, killing at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant. Eight others were wounded, the ministry said. A third strike hit a tent in Gaza City late Tuesday and killed three children, Shifa Hospital said. There was no immediate comment from the military on those strikes. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack, and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The U.N. and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Shurafa and Goldenberg write for the Associated Press. Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store