‘We’re Not the Good Guys in This’: Kinzinger Slams Trump for Oval Office Brawl That ‘Should Be an Embarrassment to All Americans’
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, said the U.S. is “not the good guys” anymore when it comes to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday in a stunning display in front of reporters in the Oval Office. Regarding a potential cessation of hostilities, Zelensky questioned Vance about the trustworthiness of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vance responded by calling Zelensky “disrespectful,” while Trump said the Ukrainian leader was being insufficiently thankful. After the Oval Office meltdown, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly told Zelensky to leave the White House.
Ukraine has received billions in aid from the U.S. and European countries since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. Zelensky was set to sign an agreement with Trump, whereby Ukraine would give the U.S. access to rare earth minerals in the country, but left without signing it.
Hours later on CNN’s The Lead, Dana Bash read a statement from the European Union’s foreign policy chief.
“Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader,” said Kaja Kallas. “It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
“Look, let me be clear about something,” Kinzinger began. “No foreign leader should come and bow to the president of the United States. They lead a foreign country, a country that is sovereign – and especially a foreign leader that’s in the middle of a war, frankly, standing in the gap. He has to, for the morale of his people, stand strong for Ukraine. If he comes here and grovels to a toddler that needs to be groveled to, what message is that sending to his troops in the trench?”
The former Republican lawmaker then reluctantly said the U.S. has no claim to being one of the “good guys.”
“I’m sorry, I hate to say this,” he added. “But the United States right now is not the good guys in this. We have been clear. Donald Trump has said everything nice about Russia. I can’t think of a single time he said something bad about Vladimir Putin, and it’s very rare. We were so shocked yesterday when he said that, ‘Oh, did I really say Zelensky was a dictator?’ This is the moment we’re in, and this should be an embarrassment to all Americans.”
Watch above via CNN.
