The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Growing up, hed heard the legend of how a family friend, President Gerald Ford, had pardoned Richard Nixon in an act of mercy after Nixon had resigned to avoid the humiliation of being impeached and removed. Trump targeted Meijer who is in his first term and is a member of the wealthy family that owns and operates the eponymous grocery store chain bearing his last name for voting to impeach . Youre trying to convince the majority to bring something to the floor. Peter Meijer and his wife Gabriella Zacarias tied the knot in 2016 in Rio De Janerio. He tried telling her as much. 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. The responsibility for fixing the party isnt on the 10 of us; its on the 180 who didnt do anything. 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. Because they have the numbers, he says, theres no need to engage in guerrilla tactics. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. He left home for Columbia University, where he interrupted his undergraduate studies to deploy to Iraq as an Army intelligence specialist. Wren: Do you have a 2024 Republican presidential candidate in mind who youd like to win? Catching his breath, Meijer felt like he was back in a war zone. The incentive structure goes that if they can elevate a weak opponent here and there, then they can flip a seat here, hold a statewide position there, and salvage parts of power. He belongs to a family that is the founder and owner of the Meijer supermarket chain. New members listened to powerful lawmakers leveling accusations that had no apparent basis in fact. Its a place like any other. He tried to force a reckoning on his party; now the reckoning is coming for Republicans like him. If he was outlining a positive agenda and speaking of the things that were started and hoping to be completed, if his message was about pointing the country in a better direction, it would be very different than what we have right now, which is just like the pettiest of petty grievances. Trumps next coup, the myth of voter fraud, Peter Meijers lonely stand, and what happened to American conservatism. But Peter Meijera junior Republican representative from Michigan and an heir to the multibillion-dollar Midwestern supermarket chain that bears his family namewas one of them. She was a hippie who bashed the familys conservative politics, then an avid Trump supporter eager for culture wars with the elitist left. Meijer Supermarket Chain has been in three generations in the Meijer family. But he worried that a rash impeachment of the president might unleash an even uglier convulsion than the one hed just survived. The inability to affirmatively and consistently reject anti-Semitism and white supremacy?. 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. Meijer knows lots of people who cant let it go. Early life [ edit] Meijer was born in 1955, [1] the son of Frederik Meijer, and grandson of Hendrik Meijer, who founded the US supermarket chain Meijer in 1934. I think that gives Democrats a tangible advantage. Ive come to realize the limitations of performative outrage, he says. Meijer knew he had to get away. National polls showed that tens of millions of Republican voters still believed the election had been stolen. Were in this together, Meijer had told him. The differentiator between a Republican candidate winning or losing tended to be the level of Mr. Trumps support; the winners themselves ranged widely in terms of their own political brands, from hard-core MAGA to business-backed establishment. Peter has an FB account as @votemeijer with 9,329 people likes and 9,660 people follow. The 34-year-old American politician is known to have just a sibling. Meijer: There were initially amendments that were proposed by the Trump administration because of Chinas lack of transparency. Has there been recent talk about a succession plan? Finally, he consulted a list hed compiled of like-minded members with whom he wanted to compare notes. 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. She was in a very unenviable position. He denounced Amashs calls for Trumps first impeachmentfor soliciting Ukraines assistance in his reelection campaigntelling a local news outlet, I think the American people deserve better than political theater in the House of Representatives.. I was like, Oh, do you want me to act the same way [Trump] did? Gabriella is famous because of her relationship as a celebrity spouse with Peter Meijer, a political personality. Peters financial disclosures list more than $50 million in assets, primarily from a Meijer family trust. Our office handled thousands of cases. He took voters earfuls in stride. He is a member of the Republican Party. Zacarias is originally from Brazil, but she moved to South Florida to pursue further studies. They can reason and debate like adults. Were wandering through a tunnel system that connects to buildings that have been evacuated, Meijer recalls. The following is a transcript of an interview with GOP Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan that aired Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, on "Face the Nation." The following is a transcript of an interview with GOP . Barrie novel and 1953 animated hit. Whereas, Peter's grandfather Fred Meijer, is the one who created a supermarket chain. Meijer had once offered lively commentary on the matter. The political incentives for elected officials and candidates to deal with existential problems are totally busted. Meijer and I spoke about whether he could ever again support Trump, the wayward direction of the Republican Party and whether he could envision a return to Washington. Late at night on the second Tuesday of January, Peter Meijer, a 33-year-old freshman congressman from West Michigan, paced the half-unpacked rooms of his new rental apartment in Washington,. Wren: Youre talking about a one-world government kind of conspiracy? There is no other information about them. He voted with nine . The stress of the past nine months had ground down the others in the groupwhich, he argued, is exactly what Trump and his cronies wanted. He is a member of the Meijer family, the owners of the Meijer superstore chain. 524 Peter Meijer. What's happening in this country, do you think, in its political institutions? [2] He has a degree from the University of Michigan. And thats what pisses me off. Its good versus evil. Meijer, within days of being sworn into President Gerald Ford's old . And now it draws to a close because you lost a primary to a Trump-endorsed candidate. Its already rumored in Michigan Republican circles that Meijer will run for U.S. Senate in 2024. Husband of Private I am self-motivated and an editor at Ghanafuo.com. Instead, the party continues to rely on grievance and fearand misinformationto scare voters into their ranks. Peter graduated from East Grand Rapids High school in 2006 after which he studied fr one year in US Military Academy at West Point. 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. Meijer watched, from a hotel lounge, as the presidents lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell held a deranged press conference at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee. Sure enough, in more than a dozen stops across his district over the summer and fall, this was the only one where I saw anyone ask Meijer about the madness of January. SIMON: Mr. Meijer, you represent an area of Michigan - Grand Rapids area - that Gerald Ford once represented. Or maybe this will prove a ruinous miscalculation. This election was a fraud and you know thats true. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/04/opinion/peter-meijer-trump.html, accused of domestic abuse, which he has denied. It doesnt help [Michigan held] very late primaries. Many people came together this week to ensure Mr. Meijer would not return to Congress in 2023 and would instead be replaced on the ticket and possibly in Congress by John Gibbs, who has said the 2020 election results are mathematically impossible.. I dont know if hes trying to make people forgethes doing his job. Now he laughs at his own navet. 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. Once the Capitol was secured, he cast his vote to certify the election results. Additionally, two Republicans from Washington state who supported impeachment and drew Trumps ire appeared before the electorate. Were a large percentage of the House of Representatives, and we have no police presence with us. 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?. A member of the Republican Party, his district, once represented by President Gerald Ford, covers Grand Rapids and Battle Creek. Even she is dissatisfied with his actions in DC, so she is supporting his primary challenger Tom Norton. Hed ignored, or downplayed, much of his extreme rhetoric. Regardless of its effectiveness, the nature of the strategy remains grim. They make folks like my sister think theyre on her team, Meijer says. 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. The next morning, January 13, Meijer received an encrypted message just as he was arriving at the Capitol. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). You want to be locked in, he asked Meijer, or locked out? That seemed like an easy call. | But on this day, he was restrained, giving a brief synopsis of his whereabouts when the Capitol was overrun. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. We lost control of the state house and the state senate for the first time in 40 years. Peter Meijer’s siblings. By Wednesday morning, it was too early to declare a winner in the races involving Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse. Hillary Clinton was probably the worst Democratic nominee of my lifetime. Pat Robertson children: Gordon P. Robertson, Elizabeth Faith Robertson, Tim Robertson, Anne Carter Robertson, Daniel Cosgrove children: Meet Lily Cosgrove, Esme Rose Cosgrove, Ruby Willow Cosgrove. "I would say my goal is to not be a hypocrite," Meijer . 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. Married Life Of Peter Meijer And Gabriella Zacarias Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 3rd district Peter Meijer and his wife Gabriella Zacarias kissing ( Source : votemeijer ) He has thanked all people who have voted for him and led him to be the next member of Congress from West Michigan. Meijer had just looked the partys future in the eye and acted as though all of that was normal. We saw that electorally, when they can at least pretend to be speaking to issues and not seem crazy, even if they are unwilling to change their policy outcomes that are not making those issues better. I think he had a very negative impact on both candidate selection in terms of endorsements, but also just the amount of quality candidates in competitive seats. Its a pretty bleak outcome. You have the side of light and the side of dark. Haley Meijeris one of Peters siblings. And then there are people who have become acutely aware of the problem, but dont know how to fight it.. And he made an unauthorized trip to Afghanistan to help evacuate Americans and Afghans during the hurried military pullout in August 2021. This is the essence of Meijers struggle. I dont have a visceral hatred of Washington that some do. Who doesnt know Peter Meijer a multi-millionaire and an heir to the multibillion-dollar Midwestern supermarket chain? Also, Peter is listed among the ultrawealthy politicians in the US history of politics. Meijer: I think we substantively advanced the issue in the National Security Performance and Accountability Act of 2021 that we introduced in the spring of last year. March 1, 2023, 4:39 PM. Sulley Muntari, Agyeman Badu, Asamoah Gyan, others visit Christian Atsus family home, VIDEO: Government will be fully involved in providing Christian Atsu a befitting burial Dr. Bawumia, Christian Atsus mortal remains arrive in Ghana via Turkish Airlines, Maybe I created enemies along the line Kofi Amoabeng on UT Banks collapse, Christian Atsu was one of Ghanas finest personnel Akufo-Addo, This is some food chain story Archipalago shamed for chasing clout with Christian Atsus death. The country needed a come-to-Jesus conversation about political extremism. In light of his sides attritionCheney kicked out of the GOP leadership, Gonzalez and Kinzinger quitting CongressI asked Meijer how he now thinks about the divisions in his party. "We set out to . The name of his sister is Haley Meijer. Wren: Where do you think the Trump fixation in the Republican Party is headed? He can see the foundational threats facing American self-governmentbut he cant decide how best to counteract them. But the chief explanation, he said, is fear. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts. Meijer wants to believe that hes in the second group. Trump-backed John Gibbs, a businessman, and missionary who served in the Trump administration under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson defeated Meijer in a primary on Tuesday (August 2). Peter has two siblings, a sister named Haley Meijer and a brother whose information isn't yet disclosed. He viewed the 45th president as a manifestation of Americas psychological imbalance, someone who reflected our anger and insecurities instead of our confidence and aspirations. George told me, after class, that he was frustrated by Meijers evasive response. They first met at the University, but information about their dating and relationship before marriage hasn't yet been disclosed the due to personal issues. He accepted every invitationespecially those that seemed hostileto address local party chapters. It was his first real act as a federal lawmakerone he believed was perfunctory. He feared Trumps authoritarian instincts, but clung to a belief that the presidents grip on the American right would soon loosen. It was a short list, and Meijer had already talked with most of them: Liz Cheney of Wyoming; Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; Fred Upton, who represented a neighboring district in Michigan. He was also a volunteer for Columbia University's emergency medical services for emergency medical technicians. That was what Steve Bannon said - oh, enough of the Queensberry rules. Whats going through my mind is, what happens if we turn the corner and see a group of rioters? There is little or no information about her personal life, as she decided to keep it private, nonetheless of her status. Meijer, 34, a former sergeant in the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, made reforming war powers and veterans issues his top legislative priorities. 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