Cheney: Don't Count on Congress to Stop Trump

With Harris, longtime Republican makes case on foreign policy, abortion
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 21, 2024 7:15 PM CDT
With Harris, Cheney States Her Case to Republicans
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and former Republican US Rep. Liz Cheney participate in a town hall Monday at the Royal Oak Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Appearing with Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan, Liz Cheney warned of the dangers of putting US foreign policy in the hands of Donald Trump on Monday. The former Republican congresswoman said the party is conducting a "really dangerous embrace of isolationism" and a "dangerous embrace of tyrants" spearheaded by the former president, the Washington Post reports. "It is an incredibly dangerous thing to think about a foreign policy and national security policy led by somebody who is … as unstable as Donald Trump is," Cheney said. If he tries to follow through on removing the US from international treaties, including NATO, she said, Congress "can't stop him."

Harris and Cheney spoke at three suburban, town hall-type events on Monday; the other two were in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Much of the time, Cheney made appeals to Republicans. They addressed:

  • Abortion: Cheney said Republican-led states have gone too far in restricting access to abortion since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, enacting "laws that are resulting in women not getting the care they need." She mentioned Texas suing for access to medical records of women who went out of state for a legal abortion. "That's not sustainable for us as a country, and it has to change," Cheney said. In effect, per the New York Times, Cheney was assuring Republican women at the events they should feel free to vote for a Democrat who supports abortion rights.

  • Jan. 6: Trump is trying to whitewash his role in inciting the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Cheney said in Royal Oak, outside Detroit. "When you think about that level of instability, the level of erratic decision-making, the misogyny, that's not someone that you can entrust with the power of the Oval Office," Cheney said.
  • The moment: Harris urged supporters not to not become discouraged at the task ahead, including preserving democracy. "Let's not let the … overwhelming nature of this all make us feel powerless because then we have been defeated," she said. "And that's not our character as the American people. We are not one to be defeated. We rise to a moment, and we stand on broad shoulders of people who have fought this fight before for our country."
  • GOP support: Many Republicans have privately told her they'll vote for Harris on Nov. 5, Cheney said, but they're afraid to say so publicly. "They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence," Cheney said, adding: "If you're at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody. And there will be millions of Republicans who [will] do that on Nov. 5." Susan Ford Bales, daughter of Republican President Gerald Ford, endorsed Harris on Monday, per NBC News.
(More Kamala Harris 2024 stories.)

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