Lawmaker: Radio Talk Shows' Made Trump's Base Fearful

NBC's Chuck Todd and Rep. Adam Kinzinger

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said on Sunday that Donald Trump is a 'symptom' of the anger stoked by right-wing talk radio narratives that profit off of fear and victimization, reports The Daily Mail.

Speaking to NBC's Meet The Press, the outgoing GOP lawmaker said the former president's meteoric rise to power came because he was at the right place at the right time.

Kinzinger also claimed Trump's enduring grasp on the party is due in large part to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who paid a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club days after denouncing his role in the Capitol riot.

'Did Donald Trump reveal what the Republican party is or change it?' host Chuck Todd asked.

You know, I think it's actually a little of both,' Kinzinger said. 

'So, I think, on the one hand, Donald Trump is a symptom of years and years of leaders, you know, profit-driven radio shows, whatever, turning the base into this angry, fearful, you know, victimized group of people.'

He said those talk radio shows, without naming any hosts or titles, convince their viewers that they can 'never get a fair shot or that they're losing 'more and more political power.'