Trump’s Critic Liz Cheney On What’s Wrong With US Policy: ‘We Prefer Idiots’ | Abroad

Cheney lost his congressional seat last year to a candidate backed by former President Trump. The Republican politician is one of Trump’s most vocal critics and has repeatedly said she considers the ex-president unfit for the highest office in the United States. Cheney also served as co-chair of the House of Representatives Investigative Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol storming. The committee was made up mostly of Democrats.

Moderator David Rubenstein asked her if she would run as an independent candidate in next year’s election if polls showed it could hurt Trump’s chances. “Look, I think the country is facing some very difficult and fundamentally important issues right now,” Cheney replied. “And what we’ve done in our politics is create a situation where we prefer idiots.” The remark was met with laughter from the audience.

According to Cheney, the election of serious candidates transcends party politics. ,,Omwille van de situatie waarin we ons bevinden, waarin we een kandidaat van een grote partij hebben die onze democracy probeert uiteen te laten vallen – en ik zeg dat niet zomaar – moeten we nadenken: oké, welke soort allianties zijn nodig om hem te beat? And these are the alliances we need to build across party lines.

Cheney has left it open whether she will run for president. She has said in the past that she wouldn’t if it could work out in Trump’s favor. He is currently leading the polls for the Republican primary. It is possible that Cheney’s candidacy will help split the vote of his opponents, giving him the nomination. “I’m not going to do anything to help Donald Trump,” she told NBC News in Aspen, Colorado on Tuesday. She says her current focus is on “stopping Donald Trump at all costs” and “helping other candidates.” A final decision won’t be made until later this year, Cheney said.

If Trump were re-elected, he would focus on “retribution”, Cheney warned. Her staff reportedly include people she describes as “bad actors,” such as Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn. “Trump wouldn’t have responsible people in the Justice Department,” or anywhere else in government, she said. After all, according to her, he is keen to retaliate against his would-be enemies.