Liz Cheney issues stern warning against Donald Trump in July 4th message

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican, urged America not to re-elect former President Donald Trump in a July 4 message shared in a social media post Thursday.

Cheney, who became one of Trump’s most vocal critics after the January 6, 2021, riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol, has often criticized Trump, including on significant days in American history. For example, in June, Cheney’s anti-Trump organization, The Great Task, posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, to commemorate the lives lost on D-Day and to remind America of what kind of person should lead the free world.

A similar message was shared on Independence Day when Cheney shared a link to a speech by historian David McCullough.

“Take a few minutes today to read David McCullough’s speech, ‘America’s Glorious Cause.’ For 248 years, our freedom has survived,” Cheney wrote on X. “Now, its defense is ours. We must defeat the former president who threatens to dismantle our Republic. We must not fail.”

Cheney’s post comes a week after the first presidential debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. Biden’s shaky performance, which raised concerns about the president’s mental acuity and fitness for another term, led some Democrats to question whether he should be replaced on the ballot before November.

Cheney, however, continues to suggest that Trump’s re-election would be a bad decision. Trump has also criticized Cheney and at one point suggested that she should be imprisoned. Newsweek reached out to Cheney’s organization and the Trump campaign via email for comment.

McCullough’s speech was delivered on September 27, 2005, to students at Brigham Young University. It details the history associated with the Revolutionary War and famous American leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. McCullough spoke about Washington’s courage and how he learned from his mistakes. He also discussed the contribution of personality and character to history.

“We are often taught history as if it were predetermined. If that teaching method is established early enough and continues throughout our education, we begin to think that events were meant to happen the way they did,” McCullough said. “We think there must have been a Revolutionary War, a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution, but it never happened. In history, chance plays a role time and time again. Character always matters. Personality is often the determining factor in how events turn out.”

McCullough, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, died in August 2022 at the age of 89.

Cheney’s message drew both criticism and support. Some agreed with Cheney, with one writing: “Beautiful and so timely. Washington knew the time had come to retreat and attack, and he had the strength of character to lead others along with him. Discretion, judgment, character. That’s what we need.”

Others, however, criticized Cheney as a “traitor.”

“I do not accept advice from traitors or useless human beings,” one said.