Liz Cheney says Trump's 'intimidation' won't work, urges Republicans to vote Harris
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, during an appearance on ABC's "The View" on Monday, said former President Donald Trump's violent rhetoric toward her is a "threat to intimidate" that won't work.
Cheney said while Trump's criticism of her as a "war hawk" is not new, his comments last week suggesting she be put in the line of fire with guns "trained on at her face" is an escalation.
"He knows what he's doing," Cheney said after a clip of Trump's remarks were shown. "He knows it's a threat with the intent to intimidate. Obviously, the intimidation won't work."
Cheney went on to suggest Trump is trying to distract from her message on the campaign trail that he is unfit for office after his conduct following his 2020 election loss and during the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"People were rushing in, pleading with him, tell the mob to leave, and he wouldn't," Cheney said. "And that level of depravity, he knows he has no defense to that and he knows that the American people will not entrust again with power anyone who would do something that cruel."
"And so because he can't respond to that, he tries to change his subject. He tries to threaten, but it's what autocrats do to try to get their political adversaries to be silent," Cheney added.
Trump's campaign, when the former president's comments about Cheney made headlines last week, argued his words were being taken out of context by the media. They said he meant that Cheney would send Americans to fight wars rather than going to combat herself.
Trump made a similar claim on "Fox & Friends" on Saturday.
"'I said, put a gun in her hand and let her go out and let her face the enemy with a gun in her hand, and they'll have nine people or 12 people or 100 people.' I said, 'Let's see how she stands up. Because I say she wouldn't have the guts to do it,'" Trump said as he called into the network.
Cheney, a Republican who was once a rising star in her party but lost reelection largely over her vocal criticism of Trump, has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The two women have appeared together at several events as Harris works to woo disaffected Republican voters.
On "The View," Cheney was asked to reflect on her decision to not only endorse Harris but vote Democrat for the first time.
Cheney called Harris the only "serious, responsible adult in this race" and said she wants to sway conservatives who are thinking of writing in a different candidate in protest of Trump rather than voting for Harris.
"I want to make sure people all across the country understand you don't have that luxury. We have to defeat him," she said. "I can't tell you how proud I was to fill in that circle next to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz."
Cheney said she believed the Republican Party, after this election should they lose, would have to make a "lot of changes" and swiped at leaders in Congress like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who continue to support Trump.
"I think that he wouldn't be successful if he didn't have these enablers, if he didn't have people who tried to, sort of to, sane wash the things that he's saying," the former congresswoman said. "It taught us a lot about the people we elected. It's taught us a lot about cowardice."
Cheney also expressed concern that House Republicans would work to prevent the certification of a Harris win.
Cheney said she believed women would "save the day in this election" and responded to Trump's comment last week that he would "protect" women "whether they like it or not."
"Yeah, I have a better idea. Let's, let's defeat Donald Trump tomorrow, whether he likes it or not," she said.
