“Trump Cannot Be the Next President” – Liz Cheney Blasts Donald Trump and Discusses Potential White House Bid

William FurneyOct 26, 2023

Minute Read

Liz Cheney doesn’t have much time for fellow Republican Donald Trump — and has insisted that the worst thing for the United States would be a second term for the billionaire businessman in the White House.

Another Trump Run

Trump, 77, is seeking the Republican Party nomination to be its candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He has a wide lead over other Republicans vying for the ticket, with polls putting Trump at close to 60 percent of voter support, while the rest manage only 10 percent and less. That makes Trump the likely GOP candidate, despite a sizable number of federal and civil charges the former president is facing.

No Time for Trump

Speaking on CNN, Cheney, 57 and daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, said anyone but Trump would be far better for the United States. Trump, she told host Jake Tapper, “cannot be the next president.”

Trump ‘Gone Wild’

Cheney, a former Republican senator for Wyoming whose term ended in January this year, suggested on CNN that a second term for Trump would give him free rein to do as he pleased.

“If he is (elected), all of the things he attempted to do, but was stopped from doing by responsible people around him at the Department of Justice, at the White House counsel’s office, all of those things he will do,” she predicted.

Cheney Support for ‘Decent Candidates’

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Cheney said she would support Republican candidates for the presidency who “believe in the Constitution and who take their responsibilities seriously to Congress.” Trump’s main rival had been Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but his campaign has faltered and he has plunged in the polls, from a high of around 40 percent to his current approximate 10 percent.

A Cheney Run for President?

Asked by Tapper if she was ruling out running for president herself, placing another Cheney in the White House if she won, she replied, “No, I’m not.” She had previously said she wouldn’t run if Trump were in the race because it might draw support away from Democrats if some Democratic voters opted for an Independent, should she run on such a platform. That could, she argued, potentially give Trump a bump and help him win.

January 6 Probe

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Cheney, who has long been a vocal critic of Trump, served on a House panel investigating the January 6, 2021, riots at the US Capitol. Violence flared when thousands of Trump supporters gathered at the Capitol building to protest what the then-president said was a “rigged” and “stolen” election that he lost to Joe Biden. Five people died in the attack and as many as 1,000 people were arrested, many of them since jailed after being convicted for their part in the rioting.

Election Interference Indictment

Trump was indicted earlier this year on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. He’s accused of violating the rights of Americans who voted in the election by attempting to cast their votes aside, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Motion to Dismiss Election Case

This week, Trump’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the federal election interference case against him, saying he had a right under the First Amendment to use “core political speech.”

Case ‘Beyond Absurd’

Trump’s legal team wrote in their motion to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan:”To assert that President Trump, as one voice among countless millions, was somehow capable of unilaterally ‘tricking’ or ‘deceiving’ these individuals, who include some of the most informed politicians on the planet, simply by advocating his opinions on this contentious issue, is beyond absurd.”

Other Legal Headaches

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Trump is facing a slew of other legal cases that could jeopardize his attempts to return to the White House. Another indictment alleges he wrongfully removed classified files from the White House and stored them at his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida, where he shared the sensitive information with others. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term of up to 20 years.

Civil Cases

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Trump is in civil court battling fraud charges relating to his Trump Organization as well as allegations he paid hush money to prevent an adult film star from talking about a relationship with him. The fraud case carries a penalty of some $250 million in fines and Trump risks losing control of his property empire, after the judge revoked some of his business licenses. His adult sons and several Trump Organization executives have also been charged in the case.

GOP ‘Has Lost Its Way’

Back on CNN and Liz Cheney also blasted the GOP for essentially going off the rails and losing its core focus and values.

“We have to have a party that gets back to advocating those conservative policies, gets back to embracing the Constitution. That is not what the Republican Party is doing today,” she said.