Boehner said the Capitol riot was 'one of the saddest days' of his life and he would rather set himself 'on fire than run for office again'
AP Photo/Michael A. McCoy
- Former House Speaker John Boehner dismissed the idea of running for office in the future.
- "I'd rather set myself on fire than to run for office again," Hoehner said on "Meet the Press" Sunday.
- Boehner also recalled the Jan. 6 insurrection calling it "one of the saddest days in my life."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Former Republican US House Speaker John Boehner said he would rather set himself on fire than run for office again in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
"I'd rather set myself on fire than to run for office again," Boehner of Ohio replied to show moderator Chuck Todd.
In response, Todd said that he asked Boehner that question "because I expected an answer just like that."
"You're a sh-t," Boehner chuckled.
-Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 18, 2021
Boehner, who was speaker between 2011 and 2015, has been promoting his new book "On The House: A Washington Memoir." After an excerpt was published by Politico, it was met with backlash from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who was called a "reckless asshole" in the book, as Insider previously reported.
Boehner, who voted for former President Donald Trump for re-election in 2020, said he was "disappointed" with what followed. Trump repeatedly pushed baseless claims that the presidential election was rigged and that he won over President Joe Biden, ultimately resulting in an angry mob storming the US Capitol building.
"I was disappointed at what happened after the election. I kept looking for evidence of a stolen election like most Americans did. Where's the evidence? How can he keep saying something without providing any proof? And there wasn't any," Boehner said on "Meet the Press," calling the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection "one of the saddest days in my life."
When asked by Todd about Trump, Boehner added that he has "no interest" in the former president's actions.
"I'm trying to make sure that Republicans understand as a Republican party we need to go back to the principles of what it means to be Republican. Things like fiscal responsibility, things like a strong national defense, things that hold Republicans and the Republican party together and have for the 150 years. Let's go back to being Republicans," he said.