Former Vice President Dick Cheney has weighed in on his daughter’s U.S. House race, describing former President Donald Trump as the greatest threat to the Republic in American history.
In a campaign advertisement released on Thursday, Cheney said Trump is fully aware of the ramifications of his actions.
“He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him,” Cheney said in the commercial called “He Knows It.”
“He is a coward; a real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters,” Cheney said.
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney has been an outspoken critic of Trump since the 2020 election, voting to impeach him and serving as a vice chair on the Jan. 6 Committee.
In the video, Dick Cheney said he and his wife, Lynne Cheney, are “so proud” of their daughter for “standing up for the truth” and “honoring her oath to the Constitution.”
“Liz is fearless, she never backs down from a fight,” he said.
The commercial also alludes to the significant role Liz Cheney is now playing as one of the few and most vocal critics of Trump within the Republican Party.
“There is nothing more important that she will ever do than lead the fight to make sure Donald Trump is never again near the Oval Office, and she will succeed,” Dick Cheney said.
Polls
According to recent polls, Trump still has an overwhelming majority of support within the party. Theoretical 2024 presidential polls show Trump with a substantial lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Liz Cheney. Cheney has not ruled out running in 2024 in multiple interviews.
“Liz Cheney should drop the pretense that she’s running for re-election,” said Tim Murtaugh, an advisor to Liz Cheney’s leading Republican primary opponent Harriet Hageman. “She’s been raising money from Democrats in California and New York for months for her fever dream of running for president.”
Dick Cheney said Trump lost the election “and he lost big.”
Trump lost the popular vote by more than 7 million, and by 74 electoral votes. However, he lost by only a close margin in many swing states.
Dick Cheney was immensely popular in Wyoming while serving as a U.S. Congressman and vice president. Nationally, his popularity was much lower, with a 29% approval rating by the time he left office in early 2009.
What’s Right
He said many in the Republican Party are afraid to stand up for what they believe is right.
“Deep down, I think most Republicans know it,” Dick Cheney said, wearing an “I Voted” sticker on his blue vest, with a scene of leafy aspen trees in the background. Cheney said he voted for his daughter and hopes the viewer “will too.”
Liz Cheney has raised more than $13 million during her campaign, with large sums of money pouring in from out-of-state donors.
“This ad will raise more dollars from Democrats, but in a Republican race in Wyoming it just reminds people why they’re voting for Harriet Hageman,” Murtaugh said.
Jeremy Adler, a spokesperson for Cheney, said the commercial will air on TV throughout the state. He would not comment on how much it cost to run the ad.
Hageman has supported Trump and earned his endorsement. At a forum in Casper on Wednesday, Hageman said she thought the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
Anthony Sabatini, a Trump-endorsed Republican Florida state representative who is also running for U.S. House, said on Twitter that when he gets to Congress, he will file a bill to remove Dick Cheney’s name from all federal buildings. Murtaugh declined to comment on the proposed bill.
Representatives for Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Dick Cheney Federal Building in Casper is named in his honor. The Cheney family also donated $3.2 million to the University of Wyoming for the Cheney International Center that was also named in his honor in 2009.
