Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) ratcheted up her criticism of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump over the weekend, saying the MAGA movement firebrand is "not a conservative."
Her harsh words came just days after announcing that she and her father, a Republican stalwart who served as vice president under George W. Bush, intend to vote for the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, rather than their party's pick.
"The trash-talking of the United States of America very much is part of the message that Donald Trump is pushing," Cheney said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" political talk show, "and so at the end of the day, I think it's important for people to recognize he's not a conservative."
The Cheneys have come under fire from Republicans for their flip-flop, but the vice chair of the House Select Committee on January 6 says she and her father didn't leave the party; the party left them. Trump is a far cry from the iconic leaders of the conservative movement, she said.
"Donald Trump doesn't stand for any of the things that Ronald Reagan did, and it's another place that I would urge my Republican colleagues both in the Congress, but across the country to really look at Donald Trump's policies, to really look at the danger that he presents, to look at, you know, what he was willing to do to stay in power," she said. "It's a firm rejection not just of traditional Republican policies, but of the constitutional order on which this country depends."
Cheney cited Trump's policy for implementing massive tariff increases, which are traditionally dismissed as another form of taxation among Republicans, on Chinese companies doing business in the U.S. She also encouraged her fellow Republicans to take a bolder stance against Trump by endorsing and voting for Harris.
"I would say given the closeness of this election, particularly if you are going to find yourself voting in a swing state, you've got to take the extra step," said Cheney, who claimed she will be voting for a Democrat for the first time in her life. "If you really do recognize the threat that Donald Trump poses, then it's not enough to simply say I'm not going to vote for him."
Cheney made headlines last week when she announced she was breaking party lines to vote for Harris. But the real head-turner came Friday when she said her father, considered a hard-core Republican, was also jumping ship has created a debate between the traditional GOP and Trump Republicans with less than two months until the election.
Originally published in International Business Times
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