Liz Cheney Hasn't Ruled Out a Run for President

Former Republican Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that she has not ruled out running for president this year.

When asked by CNN host Jake Tapper if she has ruled out a presidential bid, Cheney responded, "I haven't made any decisions about it, yet, but I'm going to do whatever is necessary to defeat Donald Trump."

The Context:

Cheney has been a vocal critic of Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Following his lost to Joe Biden, Trump made repeated claims that the election was stolen from him via widespread voter fraud, with no evidence being found to back up his accusations. In the wake of Trump's claims, a violent mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the election results.

After the riot, Cheney's criticisms of the former president grew. She was one of only 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection in the days following the riot. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate. Cheney ended up losing her seat as the House Republican Conference chair, the third-ranking position among GOP members in Congress, in May 2021, and then her position as representative for Wyoming's at-large district in the 2022 midterm election.

What We Know:

Although Cheney has not yet made a decision about running for president in 2024, during Sunday's interview she also declined to make any endorsements specifically regarding Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is trailing Trump in race, and President Joe Biden, the frontrunner of Democratic presidential nomination.

This is not the first time Cheney has hinted at running for president as she previously made similar comments that she has not made a decision on the issue back in October 2022.

The former congresswoman addressed her potential presidential ambitions in response to a question from the audience while speaking at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

"I think 2024 is going to be really important," Cheney said at the time. "It's going to be crucial that we elect people that will defend the Constitution. I haven't made a decision yet about what I'm going to do. We have a lot of excellent candidates. We have a lot of bad candidates too. So, I'll make a decision about that in the coming months."

Views:

During Sunday's interview, the former congresswoman warned about Trump's bid for president as she reiterated her criticism of his comments about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

At a rally earlier this month, Trump sparked bipartisan backlash after saying he would "encourage" Russian President Vladimir Putin to do "whatever the hell" he wants to NATO members who insufficiently contribute financially to the military alliance.

Cheney warned that "[Trump] has basically made clear that under a Trump administration, the United States is unlikely to keep its NATO commitments. We have to take Donald Trump very seriously. We have to take seriously the extent to which you've now got a Putin wing in the Republican Party. I believe the issue this election cycle is making sure the Putin wing of the Republican Party does not take over the West Wing of the White House."

When reached for comment by Newsweek on Sunday, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung took aim at Cheney's comments and said via email, "Sounds like Liz Cheney is giving Nikki 'Birdbrain' Haley a run for her money as the leader of the Never Trump movement."

The White House, meanwhile, described the remarks from Trump as "appalling and unhinged," with NATO adding that any suggestion that the Western allies would not defend each "undermines all of our security, including that of the U.S., and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk."

Trump has doubled down on his NATO comments, issuing another strongly worded criticism on Monday. In a post to Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump suggested NATO has to be stronger in getting money from other countries.

"I MADE NATO STRONG, and even the RINOS and Radical Left Democrats admit that. When I told the 20 Countries that weren't paying their fair share that they had to PAY UP, and said without doing that you will not have U.S. Military Protection, the money came rolling in. After so many years of the United States picking up the tab, it was a beautiful sight to see."

Newsweek has reached out to Cheney's faculty email for the University of Virginia's Center for Politics via email for comment.

What's Next?

The presidential nominees in November will likely be Biden and Trump. Biden won 96.2 percent of the vote in the South Carolina Democratic primary earlier this month after winning New Hampshire in January as a write-in candidate.

Meanwhile, Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary by 54.4 percent to Haley's 43.3 percent. Both Republican candidates will face off in the South Carolina primary, which is set to take place on February 24.

Update 2/18/24, 10 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 2/18/24, 10:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 2/18/24, 4:58 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung.