Liz Cheney Refuses To Rule out White House Bid Amid Trump ‘Threat’ To Democracy – Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s possible return to the Oval Office is being deemed “the single most dangerous threat” to the United States, according to a warning by moderate Republican Liz Cheney, whose outspoken opposition to Trump’s presidency led to her losing her congressional seat.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Cheney, the daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney, expressed her concerns, saying, “He cannot be the next president because if he is, all of the things that he attempted to do but was stopped from doing by responsible people … he will do.” She added, “There will be no guardrails. And everyone has been left warned.”
Cheney also suggested that she would not rule out joining the crowded field of presidential hopefuls aiming to challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
Cheney’s comments come at a time when Donald Trump faces over 90 criminal charges, including allegations related to undermining the 2020 election, retention of government secrets post-presidency, and hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Additionally, Trump is currently dealing with civil lawsuits concerning his business affairs and a rape allegation that a judge has deemed “substantially true.”
Despite Trump’s divisive polling with the general public, he continues to maintain a substantial lead in the race to secure the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
Cheney formerly vice-chaired the U.S. House committee that investigated the march on the Capitol by Trump’s supporters on January 6, 2021. This committee, of which Cheney was a part, recommended that the Justice Department file criminal charges against Trump in connection with the Capitol insurrection. This has resulted in four indictments against Trump since March.
Cheney stated, “After January 6 … there can be no question that he will unravel the institutions of our democracy,” alluding to the desperate but ultimately unsuccessful attack by Trump’s supporters to halt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. She further stressed, “So we are facing a moment in American politics where we have to set aside partisanship, and we have to make sure that people who believe in the constitution are willing to come together to prevent him from ever again setting foot anywhere near the Oval Office.”
The House Capitol attack committee’s recommendation was one of Cheney’s last congressional acts before she left office in January. She lost her re-election bid for Wyoming’s sole House seat, which she had held since 2017, after Trump successfully supported Harriet Hageman in a Republican primary challenge. Hageman later won a runoff election and succeeded Cheney as their district’s House representative.
Cheney also expressed her dismay at the current state of the Republican Party. Far-right members of the party recently engineered the unprecedented removal of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker on October 3. McCarthy, along with the first two House Republicans who unsuccessfully launched bids to succeed him, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, all objected to certifying Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.
Cheney commented, “So it’s not a surprise that we are where we are. But it’s a disgrace, and it’s an embarrassment.”
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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