Former President Donald Trump blasted former Vice President Dick Cheney as “an irrelevant RINO” after the Republican threw his support behind Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
In a post to Truth Social on Friday night, Trump responded to Cheney’s prior announcement, writing, “Dick Cheney is an irrelevant RINO [Republican in Name Only, a derisive term aimed to disparage a Republican perceived as nonconforming to party ideals], along with his daughter, who lost by the largest margin in the History of Congressional Races!”
The former vice president’s daughter, Liz Cheney, lost her GOP primary in Wyoming to Trump-backed candidate Representative Harriet Hageman in 2022. The loss marked the second worst defeat for a House incumbent in 60 years and was not by “the largest margin in the History of Congressional Races!” as Trump said. Liz served in Congress from 2017 to 2023. She also announced her endorsement for Harris earlier this week.
The former president continued by calling Dick Cheney, who served two terms under the George W. Bush administration, “the King of Endless, Nonsensical Wars, wasting Lives and Trillions of Dollars, just like Comrade Kamala Harris. I am the Peace President, and only I will stop World War III!”
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, left, speaks on November 12, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, while ex-President Donald Trump, right, is pictured at a Fox News Town Hall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on September 4. Trump blasted Cheney after the Republican backed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Tom Benitez – Pool/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Trump also bashed Cheney for failing to pardon his top adviser, Lewis “Scooter” Libby Jr., who was convicted in 2007 on four felony counts related to a CIA leak scandal. Trump pardoned Libby in 2018, and wrote on Friday, “They couldn’t get Scooter Libby, who did so much for them (but was so unfairly treated!), PARDONED. I did it!”
Cheney, who in the past was vilified by Democrats over the Bush administration’s handling of the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has criticized Trump in the past, including calling the former president “a coward” during the 2020 election. Cheney was also critical of Trump during the 2016 election but later endorsed the former president.
In his statement on Friday announcing his endorsement of Harris, Cheney said in part, “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution,” Cheney added. “That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Trump has repeatedly sparred with Liz Cheney since she served on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The committee ultimately recommended that the Department of Justice investigate Trump concerning his activities surrounding the siege.
Trump wrote on Friday that Liz Cheney’s actions “with the Unselect Committee of Political Losers is unthinkable,” and accused the bipartisan panel of lawmakers of deleting evidence related to the investigation. Trump and his allies have made similar accusations against the seven lawmakers on the committee, but committee members have pushed back on such claims.
“She [Liz Cheney] and her Unselects deleted and destroyed all evidence and information – IT’S GONE,” Trump said, adding that “Cheney and the others should be prosecuted for what they did, but Comrade Kamala is even worse!”
Harris’ campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, welcomed the endorsements from the Cheney family in a statement Friday, writing, “The Vice President is proud to have the support of Vice President Cheney, and deeply respects his courage to put country over party.”
“He joins hundreds of Republicans who are backing the Vice President and her patriotic vision of America over former President Trump, because, as Vice President Cheney said, the very future of our republic is at stake in this election,” Dillon continued. “For every voter who cares about America and understands the fundamental threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy and our Constitution, this campaign has a home for you.”
Harris has also been endorsed by Jimmy McCain, son of former Republican Senator John McCain, as well as dozens of other sitting GOP politicians. The vice president’s campaign announced a program last month titled “Republicans for Harris,” which aims to reach “the millions of Republican voters who continue to reject the chaos, division, and violence of Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda.”
Newsweek on Friday night reached out to Trump’s campaign for additional comment on Dick Cheney’s support of Harris.
Update 09/06/24, 9:59 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.
