Democrat Congresswoman Cites President Trump’s Return To Office In Interview About Retirement – Says “He Tried To Kill Me Once”

Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), who is retiring from Congress after this term, discussed her reasons for leaving in a recent interview.

Kuster, 68, said her decision to leave Congress was due to multiple factors.

The New Hampshire Democrat cited Trump’s return to the White House and hopes her decision to retire will encourage aging Democrats to do the same.

“I’m trying to set a better example,” Kuster told The Boston Globe.

“I think there are colleagues – and some of whom are still very successful and very productive – but others who just stay forever,” she continued.

US Representative Ann Kuster is retiring at the age of 68.

She said she is trying to set a better example, by not staying in Congress forever.

We have not seen Kuster trade any stock in her decade in office. pic.twitter.com/I2OUPBtwJI

— Quiver Quantitative (@QuiverQuant) December 26, 2024

Kuster also said she’s “not the best gladiator for it right now” to take on a role during the incoming Trump administration.

The Boston Globe reports:

Beyond a desire to make room for new generations, Kuster said the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump’s return to the White House weighed heavily on her.

Kuster was in the House chamber when insurrectionists who breached the Capitol closed in, narrowly escaping with other members before the rioters reached the corridor through which she fled. Along with her concerns about her own safety and that of her family, Kuster said she finds Congress to be a more polarized and less productive place.

“I’ve said somewhat facetiously, he tried to kill me once, I’m not available for that again,” Kuster said of Trump. “What we went through on Jan. 6 and his attempt to overthrow the government took a toll. That was that was really hard, and not just personally, but on my ability to work across the aisle.”

REPORT: Congresswoman Annie Kruster (D-NH) issues a farewell message as she retires from the House – The Hill

“[Trump] tried to k*ll me once, I’m not available for that again.”

“What we went through on Jan. 6 and his attempt to overthrow the government took a toll. That was… pic.twitter.com/JER97GzMxD

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 26, 2024

Kuster also admitted that voters “wanted change from the Biden administration.”

“Elections are about change, and the majority of voters wanted change from the Biden administration. They wanted lower costs. They wanted to tackle immigration and the border and crime and safety. And there’s a lot of reasons that people had for their vote, but I don’t believe the approach of the Trump administration is going to fix those issues for them. I mean, just take tariffs. If he puts those on, the price of food is going to go way up,” Kuster said, according to Roll Call.

“I think the consequences of his policies are going to result in a swing back in 2026 and in 2028. So I’m going to stay involved, but not on the ballot. I’m going to stay involved in the work I’ve done this cycle with the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund and raising resources, along with a group we call Elect Democratic Women — that’s a PAC that I was one of the founders of — and win back the majority,” she added.

House Rep Ann McLane Kuster is leaving congress to start her next chapter at 68. Should all reps be forced to leave congress at retirement age of 67? https://t.co/s1Z0XdV7As

— VoteSeeker (@voteseeker) December 26, 2024

Per Roll Call:

Q: From your perspective, what went wrong for Democrats in the 2024 elections?

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A: I think our party needs to reflect on how it felt to an entire generation of younger people that for a pretty long time, the face of our party has been octogenarians. I mean, Nancy Pelosi was an extraordinary speaker. I’m not in any way critical of her, but the transition that we made in the House was really important to Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, and I think we need to continue that process, because we somehow have missed the opportunity to connect with a whole generation of young people that we assumed, just by the laws of nature, would be more progressive and more close to our perspective.

Now, what’s interesting, our New Dem candidates were successful, and we have 25 new New Dems coming to Congress, and we flipped several seats. So I think we needed that approach at the national level.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

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