‘Two down, eight to go!’ Trump on Kinzinger’s retirement

"Two down, eight to go!" is the totality of Trump's statement. Kinzinger has been staunchly opposed to Trump.

The other person of the two who were "down" according to Trump is Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), who also decided to leave Congress in Sept. 2021.

Both Gonzalez and Kinzinger, along with the other eight "to go," make up the 10 Republicans who sided with Democrats on a vote to impeach Trump back on Feb. 13 2021. Despite this, the vote was not a success and Trump wound up being acquitted at the time.

Kinzinger issued his statement of retirement on Friday.

"I also remember during that campaign saying that if I ever thought it was time to move on from Congress, I would, and that time is now," said Kinzinger, according to CNN Politics. He continued:

"I want to make it clear. This isn't the end of my political future, but the beginning. Serving six terms in Congress has been an honor of a lifetime."

Kinzinger, in his statement, also alluded to the division he has perceived within the Republican party, and within American politics in general:

"As a country we've fallen for those lies and now we face a poisoned country filled with outrage, blinding our ability to achieve real strength. It has become increasingly obvious to me that as a country, we must unplug from the mistruth we've been fed."

"In Congress, I've witnessed our division is heavily rooted. There's little to no desire to bridge our differences and unity is no longer a word we use," he said in the video. "It has also become increasingly obvious to me that in order to break the narrative, I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide."