Wearing a cowboy hat and looking directly into the camera, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney calls Donald Trump a “threat to our republic” and a “coward” in a new campaign ad for his daughter, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.
Liz Cheney is fighting for her political life against Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman. A poll published in the Casper Star-Tribune last week shows Hageman leads Cheney 52% to 30%. No other challenger received more than 5% support and only 11% of voters were undecided.
Primary voters in Wyoming go to the polls Aug. 16.
“In our nation’s 246 year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him,” Dick Cheney says in the one-minute spot.
“He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election and he lost big. I know it, he knows it and deep down I think most Republicans know it.”
Liz Cheney voted to impeach Trump and she also was ousted from her House GOP leadership position. She is now the vice chairwoman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Republican National Committee formally censured Liz Cheney over her criticism of Trump and her role with the investigative panel.
Dick Cheney goes on to say in the ad — titled “He Knows It” — that he and his wife, Lynne, are proud of their daughter for standing up for the truth and honoring her oath to the Constitution “when so many in our party are too scared to do so.”
Liz Cheney, he said, is “fearless” and never backs down from a fight.
“There is nothing more important she will ever do than lead the effort to make sure Donald Trump is never again near the oval office, and she will succeed,” Dick Cheney said.
Dick Cheney, 81, served two terms as vice president under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U.S. vice president.
Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who twice voted to convict Trump in impeachment trials, helped raise funds for Liz Cheney’s reelection campaign. Both have repeatedly pushed back against Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Last October, Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, invited Liz Cheney to a campaign fundraiser in Salt Lake City. A flight delay ultimately prevented her from attending the $2,900 per person luncheon.