Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump caused a significant controversy in the public opinion arena with his comments on former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney at a campaign event in Arizona on Thursday night.
During a conversation with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson at an event in Glendale, Arizona, on Thursday night, Trump criticized Cheney as a “radical war hawk.” He stated that she wanted to send troops…she wanted to keep troops in Syria. I sent those people back. She wanted to keep troops in Iraq, and I sent those people back. If you let her do it, the military will be in 50 countries, she is a radical war hawk.
Trump then said, “Let her take a shotgun, stand there, nine barrels pointing at her, okay? When the gun is aimed at her face, see how she feels? You know they are all war hawks, when they sit in the beautiful buildings in Washington and say, ‘Oh, gosh, well, let’s send 10,000 soldiers straight into the enemy’s mouth?”
This statement by Trump sparked a huge controversy.
On Friday, Cheney responded to Trump’s remarks, calling him a “dictator” and stating, “They threaten death to those who oppose them.”
Vice President Harris criticized former President Trump’s comments on Friday, stating that such remarks should disqualify him from serving as president again.
“Harris stated, “Trump…suggested aiming a rifle at former Representative Liz Cheney, this is definitely disqualifying behavior. Anyone who wants to be president of the United States but uses such violent language obviously does not have the qualifications to be president.”
Trump’s campaign team stated that Trump’s remarks were completely distorted. Trump’s spokesperson Karoline Leavitt pointed out that “every fake news reporter is interpreting President Trump’s remarks out of context.”
Leavitt wrote in a statement, “President Trump correctly pointed out that warmongers like Liz Cheney are eager to start wars and send Americans into battle, rather than going to the battlefield themselves.”
On Friday, Trump attempted to clarify his comments on Liz Cheney in a post on “Truth Social.” In the post, Trump still referred to her as a “warmonger,” but mentioned that she lacked the courage to fight personally, stating, “She talks easily, sitting far from the scene of death, but hand her the gun, let her fight, and she will say, ‘No, thanks!'”
During Cheney’s time in Congress from 2017 to 2021, while Trump was president, she pressured Trump to keep the U.S. military in Syria and to reinstate harsh interrogation methods for detainees.
After assisting in leading the investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, she lost her congressional seat. Her father, former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, also refused to support Trump’s third presidential campaign.