Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH), a six-term congresswoman, announced her decision to retire from Congress earlier this year, citing multiple factors, including the Capitol protests on January 6, 2021, and the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House.

In recent exit interviews with Roll Call and the Boston Globe, Kuster elaborated on her reasons, offering a mix of personal reflections and sharp critiques of Trump.

Speaking with Roll Call, Kuster explained her retirement as an effort to set an example for colleagues who may stay in office too long. “I had so many different factors going into it, but one of them is I’m trying to set a better example,” she said.

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However, she also noted another reason for her departure: her experience during the Capitol breach on January 6.

“And then there is a part of it related to Donald Trump coming back,” Kuster said. “I was one of the last members of Congress in the gallery on Jan. 6, and as it turns out, we have the security footage that shows it was only 30 seconds from when I was able to evacuate that the insurrectionists were in that hallway hunting for us with zip ties and bear mace and who knows what else.”

Reflecting on the day’s events, Kuster stated, “I just felt like, he tried to kill me once. I’m not available for it again.”

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In her interview with the Boston Globe, Kuster reiterated her concerns about January 6 and Trump’s influence but attempted to soften her language. “I’ve said somewhat facetiously, he tried to kill me once, I’m not available for that again,” she remarked.

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She also described the lasting impact of the events, saying, “What we went through on Jan. 6 and his attempt to overthrow the government took a toll. That was really hard, and not just personally, but on my ability to work across the aisle.”

Kuster officially announced her decision not to seek reelection in March.

At the time, there was no clear indication that Trump would become the Republican nominee for president in 2024, but Kuster’s recent comments suggest she views his potential return as a continued threat.

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Her final day in office will be January 3, 2025, three days before the next presidential election is certified on January 6.

Kuster has frequently emphasized the events of January 6 in her public statements, often describing them in stark terms.

On the eve of the third anniversary of the Capitol breach, her office released a video showing her and other House Democrats on the third floor of the U.S. Capitol, followed by footage of protesters walking through the halls.

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Kuster claimed the footage underscored “the threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy going forward.”

In the video, Kuster speculated on what could have happened had the protesters reached them. “I’ve often wondered, ‘What the hell would have happened?’ I don’t know, rip us limb from limb?” she said. “You know, what are the zip ties and the bear mace all about? They were prepared to take members of Congress either hostage, or kill us right then and there, or at least make us go to the hospital so that we couldn’t have come back to vote that night.”

In her Roll Call interview, Kuster also offered her views on voter behavior, expressing frustration with what she perceives as a lack of awareness among the electorate.

She speculated that voters may credit future infrastructure improvements to Trump rather than to the Biden administration.

“People are going to be driving over brand-new bridges and new highways and cutting 45 minutes off their commute and getting home for dinner on time, and nobody’s going to say, ‘Oh, thank you, Joe Biden,’” she said. “They’re probably going to say, ‘Thank you, Donald Trump,’ because they don’t realize that it just takes so long.”

As her time in Congress comes to a close, Kuster’s remarks reflect her deep concerns about the current political climate, as well as her lingering frustration with voter perceptions and partisan divisions.

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