He talked with his wife. Some of the House hard-liners who sought to block certificationMo Brooks, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetzshared discredited YouTube testimonies and Fox News clips to emphasize how the issue was playing with the conservative base. MEIJER: You know, I don't want to overextrapolate from my one scenario. At least rhetorically, they seem to be coming from a more reality-grounded place. Of the 10, Ive got the most respect for Peterbecause he was brand-new, Kinzinger, one of the GOPs anti-Trump ringleaders, told me. Peter has served as the U.S representative for Michigan's 3rd congressional district. The same is true, he argued, about the politics of political violence: It is a vital concern that you cant run a winning campaign on. Whats the biggest splurge youve made? Scores of local election officials nationwide have been run out of office, many of them replaced by people who insist that the system theyre now charged with overseeing is rigged. March 1, 2023, 4:39 PM. I am self-motivated and an editor at Ghanafuo.com. Aidan Wallace siblings: Who are Aidan Wallace siblings? Has there been recent talk about a succession plan? He has regretted what his fellow people did at Capitol Hill and urged his colleagues to acknowledge their fault so gain the trust and faith of people once again. Now, he's one of the most pragmatic members of the House, got primaried from the left and a seat that was considered safe Democratic under him because he reached across the aisle. Meijer knows the strain Trumps candidacy might place on a system that nearly buckled during the last election cycle. Do you want me to deny that I lost? Its funny there were a lot of kind of anti-Trump and Never Trump folks who trashed me for that. The political incentives for elected officials and candidates to deal with existential problems are totally busted. This might be the best-case scenario for Meijers own careerRepublican voters forgiving and forgetting, politely moving on, putting January 6 behind them. Peter Meijer didnt run for Congress to fight for the sanity of the country or the soul of the Republican Party. Thanks so much for being with us. His mother Claire is a consultant at Flight Center Travel Group. The young man clearly wanted to understand how Meijers version of Republicanism differed from the Trumpist one, how the congressman might distinguish his vision for the party from the current MAGA model. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. But I think broadly, populist sentiment and a belief that our institutions are failing, our institutions are corrupt, our institutions are irredeemable is becoming a very common belief on both sides of the aisle, and there is good reason to believe it. Then a window shattered. 4. Who doesnt know Peter Meijer a multi-millionaire and an heir to the multibillion-dollar Midwestern supermarket chain? The fundamental problem, Meijer said, is that Republicans are offering no plans for improving lives and making the future a more promising place. It'll be fantastic for advertising revenue, for consulting dollars. SIMON: Mr. Meijer, you represent an area of Michigan - Grand Rapids area - that Gerald Ford once represented. Even as a kid, he sensed that it was trouble for the country. He sensed that he might be doing more harm than good with his high-minded rhetoric. Although Gonzalez was the first of the 10 House Republican impeachment supporters to fall by the wayside, he wouldnt be the last. He tried to force a reckoning on his party; now the reckoning is coming for Republicans like him. The hypocrisy was so transcendent, just the cynicism. The folks who whipped up [the violence] were just as terrified as everyone else; they fled like everyone else, Meijer says. And that was rare. For Meijer, the stillness was unsettling. The central policy connection publicly shared by many Republicans who prevailed is some level of rejection of the 2020 election results, ranging from tacit and careful dodging to blasting conspiracy theories. Figuring out how much the ad purchased with that money mattered is hard to discern in a universe of other factors: The margin of defeat was narrow but not razor-thin; Mr. Meijer and groups supporting him spent way more on the race; and people want what they want, which, for a lot of voters in a Republican primary, is what Mr. Trump wants. Meijer cant blame them. Meijer, 34, a former sergeant in the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, made reforming war powers and veterans issues his top legislative priorities. As America marks the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, Rep. Peter Meijer, R-MI, discusses the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, his decision to fly into Kabul amid the evacuation and who . At the end of the day, theres been such an echo chamber on the right. If he now views the struggle to rebuild his party as a long-term proposition, then part of his job is just surviving, he says, sticking around long enough to recruit allies and gain momentum to take back control of the GOP. Peter even thanked his lovely wife for her support and credited her and her support for his win in August 2020. He has shared pictures of his family, his wife, his time in Iraq as the US Army, and his election campaign. Type above and press Enter to search. "What we saw on. They want life in the shoes of the 10 of us to be miserable. The question he and his friends now ask of themselves isnt just Can I win reelection? Instead, he said, Its Am I going to have to talk for the next few years about Italian military satellites and bamboo ballots and whatever [MyPillow CEO] Mike Lindell says?. Over time, the threats ebbed, the antagonistic encounters subsided, and Meijer got some semblance of his life back. How many did you help evacuate? Does Peter Meijer have a brother? Congressman Meijer has criticized the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which spent big money on ads to boost his opponent. So they do nothing, convincing themselves that the problem will take care of itself, while guaranteeing that it will only get worse. They are showing their God Given America Right, the man texted back. How much net worth does Callie Hernandez have. But its not home. But I look at my colleague from Oregon, Democrat Kurt Schrader. But what I recognized with Peter, during our conversations, was that he never talked about the political implications. Trumps next coup, the myth of voter fraud, Peter Meijers lonely stand, and what happened to American conservatism. His side is unilaterally disarming while the other side is escalating every day. New members listened to powerful lawmakers leveling accusations that had no apparent basis in fact. But if my son asks me in 20 years why I didnt vote for impeachment, I couldnt convince him.. Meijer: I think in a lot of the media theres such a Trump fixation. Peter Meijer: Obviously bittersweet. Further, Peter is also one of the congressmen who signed for the impeachment of Donald Trump after the Capitol Riot. [2] He was educated at Creston High School. And he knew that by voting to impeach he might be committing career suicide before my career ever began. In the days leading up to the vote, Meijer says, he barely slept. Its a common instinct, and a dangerous one, because the party is playing its own long game. 524 Peter Meijer. Meijer was born to an American billionaire businessman, co-chairman and the founder of the supermarket chain Meijer named Hendrik Meijer his father and his mother are called Deborah Meijer. Press Esc to cancel. Mr. Meijer told The Atlantic last year that another lawmaker, who explained why he was voting against certifying the 2020 election, told him, This is the last thing Donald Trump will ever ask you to do.. Representative Peter Meijer (R., Mich.) counts himself among that last, unfortunate, group after being defeated by his Trump-endorsed challenger, John Gibbs, last week. Peter is married to his beautiful wife Gabriella Nascimento-Zacarias Meijer for over three years now. Follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn @Cecelia Chintoh. Haley Meijeris one of Peters siblings. | Sarah Rice for The Washington Post via Getty Images. He asked his new colleague if he was okay. But whatever issues he had with the way certain states had administered the election, those states had since ratified their results and submitted slates of electors to Congress to be counted. They have been in a relationship for a long time, but still, there is no information about the baby. Wren: No idea? Editor at Ghanafuo.com! Haley Meijer is the sister of Republican US House Representative Peter Meijer in Michigan. Rep. Peter Meijer awaits election results at an election night event at Social House on Aug. 2, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Meijer had been on the job for all of three days. Dismayed, a group of freshman Republicans asked for a meeting with Kevin McCarthy shortly after their swearing-in. Anyone can read what you share. He had cleaned out his office back in October but he still had votes to cast, though none of them as consequential as the one that quite probably cost him his seat. The Capitol Police herded members into elevators and sent them down to the sub-basement. It's bad for the notion of governing. Additionally, two Republicans from Washington state who supported impeachment and drew Trumps ire appeared before the electorate. Honestly, on the day before the vote, I thought wed have 25 with us. If anything, hed hoped to represent a cease-fire. And thats what pisses me off. If that's what our politics becomes, then we're just going to see greater and greater partisan swings and greater and greater partisan intensity. Meijer, 29, is the oldest son of Hank Meijer, co-chairman of the family-owned Michigan-based supercenter chain with more 230 stores across the Midwest. Wandering, lost on his third day at work, he eventually found an elevator, which took him all the way down to the sub-basement, where he discovered a restroom. He smirked. There are people who are actively trying to fight the problem. For a guy who talks a lot about the militants in his party, he doesnt engage with them much. (Watching him contort himself to avoid criticizing Kevin McCarthy was the closest Ive come to seeing a man tortured.) With the terms of the deal such as they are in Republican primaries, theres an ever-elevated risk of replacing this or that official with someone whose next move you truly cant predict. Peters parents however have separated and Hank has remarried Liesel Litzenburger, a writer and novelist. Meijer: Yeah. A blind eye here, some radio silence there, will do the trick. As a teen, he tried to avoid the attention and expectations that came with his last name by spelling it Meyer at East Grand Rapids High School. Meijer: I dont know that Id say upset. Do they share the same siblings? This is the United States Capitol, he told himself. He took voters earfuls in stride. You can see how a Republican official would, on some cynical level, eyeing the landscape, dodge spending on the 2020 election in service of keeping a true conspiracist off the ballot. First and foremost, Peter Meijer is a married man. Paul Gosar wasnt shot on January 6Ashli Babbitt was.. Meijer insists hes not numb to the enduring threathe can still picture the man at a fairgrounds screaming Motherfucking traitor! at himbut he does believe, at least in his district, that the worst has passed. As a result of which he has garnered an impressive net worth. Now he laughs at his own navet. And I saw this kind of firsthand in Washington - a fear of trying to improve something because if you touch it, you take responsibility. The students listened to Meijer warily. Neither of them voted for impeachment a week later.. She peppered him with bad stats and debunked rumors and thirdhand accounts of cheating. The least I can do is wish him congratulations and best of luck. Gabriella is famous because of her relationship as a celebrity spouse with Peter Meijer, a political personality. In the middle of September, Anthony Gonzalez announced that he was retiring from Congress. Well, my Republican Party wouldnt scare him, Meijer said with a shrug. Peter Meijer is the eldest of the two children of Hank Meijer. If the Democratic incumbent is popping a bottle of champagne when they realize who their opponent is going to be, we probably didnt make the right choice. But he didnt say any of this to George. unity event in western Michigan. Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, who saw the Capitol uprising on January 6 shortly after taking office and then voted with nine other Republicans to remove Donald Trump from office, as a result, has failed in his bid for reelection. In January 2022, Alexander celebrated his brother's favorite day of the year alongside his father and mother. Those who stormed the Capital today are True American Heroes. A senior writer who is dedicated to writing content that is useful and timely to readers. Wren: Do you have a 2024 Republican presidential candidate in mind who youd like to win? As of late January, he says, I thought there was the opportunity to have a harsh confrontation with reality. For a few minutesit felt much longerthey were on their own. Yet you went to a unity rally with him. This election was a fraud and you know thats true. West Michigan will have its first Democratic representation in Congress since Watergate. Maybe this was Kevin McCarthy and the party leadership mending fences, signaling to Meijer that they value him despite his breaking rank. Peter Meijer's Wife, Family And Net Worth - 5 Fast Facts. But there was a shared sense of dread. Whereas, Peter's grandfather Fred Meijer, is the one who created a supermarket chain. MEIJER: You know, I don't want to single out the Republican Party here 'cause I think the party of Gerald Ford on the right and the party of Tip O'Neill on the left, that world is long gone. Peter Meijer siblings: Meet his sister Haley Meijer Peter Meijer, a Michigan Republican who serves in the US House, has a sister named Haley Meijer. He is currently 34 years and was born on January 10, 1988, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. His mum surprised his little sibling with a Pooh Bear tea party ( Source : instagram ) Alexander Molony parents Claire-Louise and British father raised him in London. Zacarias is originally from Brazil, but she moved to South Florida to pursue further studies. Now he laughs at his own navet. National polls showed that tens of millions of Republican voters still believed the election had been stolen. He was also a volunteer for Columbia University's emergency medical services for emergency medical technicians. Katherine Miller is a staff writer and editor in Opinion. In fact, Haley Meijer wants her brother out of DC so much she is a "top fan" of Norton's, according to Norton's campaign Facebook page. Barreling toward one of the most consequential votes in modern history, everyone was on their own. Whereas Mitch McConnell was whipping furiously for certification in his Senate caucus, McCarthy left his new House members without a clue as to the partys position on whether Congress should obey the Constitution. He was able to spend more time on the policy issues he cared about. I dont know if hes trying to make people forgethes doing his job. But Ill tell you, it hasnt come up much since [February]. The responsibility for fixing the party isnt on the 10 of us; its on the 180 who didnt do anything. Wren: What do you think your biggest accomplishment was in Congress? They were attempting to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. The member responded that he was not; that no matter his belief in the legitimacy of the election, he could no longer vote to certify the results, because he feared for his familys safety. You were casting that vote after seeing with your own two eyes what some of these people are capable of, Meijer says. Last year Peter Meijer, the Michigan representative who voted to impeach Donald Trump and just lost his re-election primary over it, shared a nightmare hypothetical that illustrates a central. I think one of the challenges on the politics side is you just have to spend a lot of time reacting in some areas where there may be valid concerns, but where the factual basis of those concerns is lacking. He texted with friends. How do you explain to George, I asked, the difference between the Republican Party that fills his imagination and that scares him, versus the Republican Party that you want to represent?. Updated: 08/04/2022 01:53 PM EDT. Its rare for somebody who worked in Afghanistan to be in Congress. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. There are people who are part of the problem, he said. The couple has been married for about seven years now. The Meijer supermarket chain was run by Peter's grandfather, Frederik Gerhard Hendrik Meijer, before his father, who was also an American billionaire and chairman of the Meijer hypermarket. He graduated from Columbia University in 2006. Regardless of its effectiveness, the nature of the strategy remains grim. Peter's father, brother, and grandfather are the company's backbone. She was the only statewide candidate who was actually elected in a primary. But none of that compared to the onslaught from the ostensible leader of his own party, who backed Meijers primary challenger, John Gibbs, a Stanford-educated provocateur who pandered to Trump and peddled QAnon-style conspiracies. Listen to an interview with William J. Walker, sergeant-at-arms of the U.S. House of Representatives, on The Experiment. So he began making calls. Others have acted out of partisan spite, or ignorance, or warped perceptions of truth and lies. When we spoke next, a few weeks later, Meijer sounded defeated. Cecelia Chintoh is the name I respond to. Even she is dissatisfied with his actions in DC, so she is supporting his primary challenger Tom Norton. Rep. Peter Meijer said he has no regrets over his vote last year to impeach then-President Donald Trump, a decision that made him a target of the former president . Meanwhile, some of the really serious, severe things that are critical for us to get ready for the future of the country: competing with China, dealing with our deficit, dealing with entitlement reforms. But I think there is certainly a broader trend. Depending on your viewpoint, all this could be a good or bad omen for Peter Meijer, the scion of an uberwealthy Michigan family. Instead, the party continues to rely on grievance and fearand misinformationto scare voters into their ranks. It should have been, This is a taste of what could come if we keep going down this path. Instead, it becomes something that you can justify, that you can reconcile. But, he pointed out, voters did not see Jan. 6 and political violence as a top concern for their everyday lives. Reggie Gowland children: Does Reggie Gowland have children? Peter was born on January 10, 1988, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In February, two of the county-level Republican Parties in Meijers districtCalhoun and Barryvoted to formally censure him. Read: The Michigan Republican who decided to tell the truth about election fraud. It was the most bipartisan, most thoroughly fleshed-out approach, including bicameral conversations and conversations with the White House. The political liabilities of certain issues climate change, some national security problems, public health and, more topically, protections for the democratic process lie low and fade into the everyday, but when they become acute, they turn all-encompassing. MEIJER: Well, I think if you want to say that everything is a cynical, partisan ploy at the end of the day, then just say it. Peter was enlisted in the Army Reserve. I think if a party wants to be self-righteous and sanctimonious and claim to be, you know, the party of democracy, contrasting themselves from the other side of the aisle that they view as an existential threat to the United States as a going concern, you can't hold both of those opinions simultaneously if the same time you're decrying the threat, you're amplifying it and energizing it. When the Capitol was finally secured and members returned to the House chamber, Meijer expected an outraged, defiant House of Representatives to vote in overwhelming numbers to certify the election results, sending a message to the mob that Congress would not be scared away from fulfilling its constitutional obligations. Follow me on Twitter (@NaNa_KqAmE). And this ended up being the incentive structure for Mr. Meijer: A public official did what people say they want (to take the tough vote) on a central existential problem (Mr. Trump denying the results of the 2020 election), and he was honest about it but didnt discuss it much (because, he said, voters werent that focused on it), and he lost in the end anyway. Rising that quickly in todays GOPfrom unknown Millennial to statewide nominee in the space of four yearswill demand playing to the party base. What were wondering, George said sheepishly, is how do you define what it means to be a Republican right now?. Meijer silenced his phone and cast his vote to certify the election. The majority of his fellow House Republicans refused to certify the results, launching an assault on the legitimacy of American democracy. [3] Is Aymeric Jett Montaz in a Relationship? It showed me just how bad this had gotten.. The short-term incentives for Democrats to shorten the time horizon of dealing with existential problems are poor: The approval ratings for President Biden keep drifting lower, inflation wont let up, and history suggests no matter whats going on, the party in power loses power. Later, after spending 18 months in Afghanistan as a conflict analyst, he finished graduate school at NYU and found work doing urban redevelopment in Detroit. Wren: As the scion of the Meijer supermarket franchise, you could be next in line to take it over. Meijer is also a member of the Republican Party and voted for Donald Trump's second impeachment. Disney+ released the first trailer for its upcoming live-action Peter Pan & Wendy, which puts a new spin on the classic story based on the J.M. Ms. Miller is a staff writer and editor in Opinion. Haley Meijer is two years older than her brother. Its already rumored in Michigan Republican circles that Meijer will run for U.S. Senate in 2024. When the truth is being hidden, the Second Amendment gives every one of those people the right to do what they did today.. Inside, members were fielding panicked calls from staff and sharing reports of the complex being breached and of tear gas in the Rotunda. In the fall, a bundled donation of $25,000 was deposited into Meijers campaign account, courtesy of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which named him to its Patriot Program. It was an honor not bestowed upon some of the others whod voted for impeachment. Meijer lost his seat to John Gibbs for the Republican primary on August 2, 2022. By April, Meijer had a primary challenger. In a moment that should force a lot of introspection, Ive seen a lot of folks who are responsible for the debacle only rising in stature. Meijer was already recording video on his iPhone. The only reason why they were aware is because I thought the right thing to do was to just kind of announce ourselves, dont ask for any support to take up any resources, contrary to a lot of the White House trying to tar and feather us out of their own sense of embarrassment. Meijer also serves House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. They did their tour in Vietnam; why would they want to go back? Kinzinger told me in mid-October. But thats also the type of long-term reform where you have to have an understanding and an expectation it will be probably chunked out with an idea of giving folks more comfortable, very substantive change. Meijer's loss was made all the more painful because of its proximate cause: cynical attacks from both his right and left flanks. If you too are looking for details related to Peter Meijers wife and his marriage we have got you covered. A lot of these people were just shrugging. They are afraid for their careers. Every candidate, every opponent, every race is going to be different. After the impeachment vote, Meijer felt he was positioned to advocate for what he believed would be an imminent, sweeping overhaul of the party. Whereas, Peters grandfather Fred Meijer, is the one who created a supermarket chain. After the vote, Meijers congressional officestill barely staffedwas inundated with calls and messages. It was the worst 96 hours of my life, he says. The first-term congressman served in the Iraq war and cast one of his first House votes to impeach . After January 6, Peter Meijer thought he could help lead the Republican Party away from an abyss. Thousands of demonstrators have protested at state-capitol buildings, demanding forensic audits of the 2020 results. During his involvement with Team Rubicon, Meijer led projects in South Sudan regarding the refugee crisis and also carried out rescue and rehabilitation operations after Superstorm Sandy hit New York.