Last October, David French joined Curtis Chang on an episode of Good Faith to discuss their top 5 political sleepers. In this week’s episode, Curtis is joined by one of those very politicians, Congressman Adam Kinzinger.

Known for his unwavering courage in challenging his own party, Congressman Kinzinger delves into the moral challenges facing political leaders today, especially as they navigate the temptations of short-term gains versus the historical significance of principled decision-making. He offers a deeply insightful discussion on the complex intersection of politics, faith, and integrity amid the political uncertainty of the Donald Trump era.

Drawing from his own familiarity with the inner workings of government, Congressman Kinzinger shares candid reflections on the political landscape, where authoritarian threats loom large and the pressure to align with partisan narratives can feel overwhelming. He highlights the difficult choices that come with resisting these forces, offering a compelling example of the resistance required to preserve democracy in a time when many feel a sense of hopelessness about the state of the nation. Together, Curtis and Congressman Kinzinger explore how political leaders can maintain their integrity while making tough choices in defense of democracy, even when the path ahead seems uncertain.

Congressman Kinzinger’s commitment to moral leadership stands as a beacon for those seeking a way forward in these polarized times. His example reminds us that although the pressures are immense, we must rise above the noise, choosing principled action over fleeting political victories.

This excerpt has been edited for length and clarity.

Congressman Adam Kinzinger:  One of the fights is just against hopelessness, darkness – pulling the ejection handle, as we say as pilots. The other one, though, is that I can get pulled into emotional reactions a lot. I can wake up and one of the things I have to fight now is looking at my phone right when I wake up. I wake up, I look at the phone and get hit with four things that Donald Trump did that were really bad, and then my day’s ruined. So that’s a big fight, making sure that I engage when it’s appropriate to engage and not go in the mud too often, and not all the time.

I do think that there is a role to play a little bit of hardball in the messaging. I think it’s important to call out hypocrisy. To point out when somebody’s lying. I don’t know if I always do that correctly, but where I shouldn’t get drawn into that and do sometimes is just little petty stuff.

Curtis Chang: It seems like almost those of us who are engaged in resisting the work of Trump in calling evil good, good evil is we have to pick our spots of when to do that. It’s going to be completely draining if we allow the pace of social media or the pace of Trump to dictate our emotional and spiritual lives.

Congressman Kinzinger: People are asking, how do we do this for the next four years? And I don’t fully have the answer to that except to say stay engaged, whatever that looks like. But the other thing is this: all of us wear this big, heavy burden on our shoulders and we feel like if only we do a little bit more, we can change this country. I think, take that burden and drop it, because you need to stay engaged. If you’re walking around with this thousand pound burden on your shoulders, eventually you’ll break. Everybody will break. I want people to stay engaged. I want them to stay able to breathe, able to keep their family together and happy. So drop that burden and be part of the team. All of us are out there lifting, so I think that’s a big thing.