'Prom for the weird': Republican slams Trump's post-arraignment 'hero-worship' party in New Jersey

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) slammed the post-arraignment spectacle that former President Donald Trump put on at his Bedminster golf club with his top allies and admirers.

In a discussion with conservative commentator Charlie Sykes on his Bulwarkpodcast, the anti-Trump conservative who worked on the House January 6 investigation said, "I don’t even know how to describe it."

"I can’t put English words to it, which is just this weird cultism. You talked about the scene at Bedminster and I don’t know if they just weren’t cool in high school or what and they show up. And it’s like Hollywood, too. They think they’re celebrities. They’re all getting their picture with Kimberly Guilfoyle. And it’s like this whole weird culture."

"It’s like prom for the weird," offered Sykes.

"It is. It’s definitely prom for the weird," agreed Kinzinger. "And you see this — like I don’t know, this worship. This hero worship. You’re the writer. You’re the journalist. You’re the one that could probably put better words to that phenomenon than I can? I just feel that and I can’t do it. I feel what that is emotionally. I can’t put words to it."

Trump was arraigned earlier this week on 37 federal charges, including dozens of violations of the Espionage Act, for his alleged scheme to conceal boxes of highly classified national defense information in unsecured rooms of his Mar-a-Lago resort, moving them around constantly so even his own lawyers wouldn't be aware he was hiding them. His valet, Walt Nauta, was also indicted.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom as part of federal policy; however, one attorney who sat in on the proceedings told MSNBC that as Trump was arraigned, he looked "deflated" as he realized "the walls are closing in on him" and "turned around and he wanted to look down the faces of everyone in the gallery" in search of a "smiling face" to reassure him.