Donald Trump has been accused of "enriching himself" with a bad economy by a former Republican representative.
Adam Kinzinger, who served as the House representative for Illinois from 2011 to 2023, suggested the economic downturn was of no interest to the president. Trump was branded 'incapable of caring' about the economic hardship of Americans, as Kinzinger believes he will personally benefit — however unhealthy the economy is.
But speaking to Rick Wilson on The Lincoln Project podcast, Kinzinger said the state of the economy effectively rules out a potential run for office from Trump in future.
The former GOP member told Wilson, "Imagine you're Donald Trump and you're the deep narcissist we know he is, incapable of caring about the bigger cause. A good economy doesn't matter to you, honestly, if you're not running again, and I don't believe he is.
"If you're not running again, and if you are enriching yourself. Donald Trump is becoming richer in this. I think Donald Trump knows he's not going to run again so, to him, the idea of 'we need a good economy,' he would probably prefer to have a good economy, but he also doesn't really need it. He's doing fine."
Kinzinger suggested later in the podcast that Trump may even hope for a Democrat victory at the next U.S. election. The ex-GOP member believes Trump would see this as a victory for himself, as it would make him the "last person to get these majorities".
Economic worries are also worrying Republicans who believe Trump is more concerned with solidifying his "legacy" in office than dealing with the cost-of-living crisis. Vice President JD Vance said the party would be judged on its economic successes as early as next year, and that more would need to be done to satisfy the public.
He said, "We need to focus on the home front. The president has done a lot that has already paid off in lower interest rates and lower inflation, but we inherited a disaster from Joe Biden and Rome wasn’t built in a day.
"We’re going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that’s the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond."