Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign faces backlash for misrepresenting former President Donald Trump’s comments about Liz Cheney, falsely claiming he called for her execution.
At a Glance
- Harris campaign accused Trump of calling for Liz Cheney’s execution
- Trump was criticizing Cheney’s support for foreign wars, not suggesting execution
- The controversy stems from an 11-second video clip shared on social media
- Trump’s campaign denounces the accusation as “fake media outrage”
Harris Campaign’s Controversial Claim
The political arena was set ablaze when Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign leveled a serious accusation against former President Donald Trump. The Harris team claimed Trump called for the execution of Liz Cheney, a former Republican representative and vocal Trump critic. The explosive allegation, however, quickly unraveled under scrutiny.
The controversy stems from a misleading 11-second video clip shared on social media by the Harris campaign. This snippet was taken out of context from a longer conversation during which Trump criticized Cheney’s support for foreign wars, and stated that she would not be so keen on them if she had to fight herself.
“They’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying Oh gee, let’s send 10,000 troops into the mouths of the enemy,” Donald Trump said.
Trump further elaborated on his point, using Cheney as an example. “If you gave Liz Cheney a gun and put her into battle, facing the other side with the guns pointing at her, she wouldn’t have the courage and the strength or the stamina to even look the enemy in the eye,” he stated.
Reaction and Backlash
The Harris campaign’s interpretation of these comments as a call for Cheney’s execution sparked immediate controversy. Critics, including Trump’s own campaign, quickly pointed out the misrepresentation.
“President Trump is 100% correct that warmongers like Liz Cheney are very quick to start wars and send other Americans to fight them, rather than go into combat themselves. This is the continuation of the latest fake media outrage days before the election in a blatant attempt to interfere on behalf of Kamala Harris,” Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Even Trump critics, such as Joe Walsh, confirmed that Trump did not call for Cheney’s execution, further undermining the Harris campaign’s narrative.
Political Implications
Liz Cheney, who opposed Trump after the Capitol riot, responded to the controversy with a stern warning.
“This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant,” Cheney said.
Former Wyoming Rep. Cheney is one of the most outspoken Trump critics in the Republican Party. She has campaigned alongside Vice President Harris and noted that she has never before backed a Democratic candidate, but is proud to do so on this occasion.
