Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney is urging the public to reject President-elect Donald Trump's "malicious falsehoods" and "protect the America we love" before Trump's second term begins on January 20.
Why It Matters
Cheney, who previously co-chaired the House January 6 Select Committee, became one of Trump's fiercest Republican critics following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden awarded Cheney and the committee's other co-chair, Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, with the Presidential Citizens Medal—the second-highest award for a U.S. civilian—for their work with the committee.
The decision quickly sparked anger from Trump and many MAGA Republicans, with the president-elect saying in a Truth Social post on Friday that Cheney was given a "fake" medal by Biden because she "hated" him.
What To Know
"Biden gave Liz Cheney a Medal yesterday, even though she has proven to be totally corrupt," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Biden rewarded her only because she hated 'TRUMP' ... This is not America. January 20th cannot come fast enough."
Cheney responded to Trump hours later in a post to X, formerly Twitter, where she told the incoming president that he would not be able to "silence" her and other critics.
"Donald, this is not the Soviet Union," Cheney wrote. "You can't change the truth and you cannot silence us. Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened? Many of your lawyers have been sanctioned, disciplined or disbarred, the courts ruled against you, and dozens of your own White House, administration, and campaign aides testified against you."
"Remember how you sent a mob to our Capitol and then watched the violence on television and refused for hours to instruct the mob to leave?" she continued. "Remember how your former Vice President prevented you from overturning our Republic? We remember."
Cheney then urged Americans to oppose Trump during his second administration to protect "our Constitutional Republic."
"And now, as you take office again, the American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic — to protect the America we love from you," she wrote.
What People Are Saying
Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, in an email to Newsweek on Friday night: "Liz Cheney and Bennie Thompson are an embarrassment to this country for the lies they perpetrated during their sham January 6th Un-Select Committee. They deleted evidence and engaged in witness tampering, all of which the American people saw right through and is a major reason why Cheney lost her seat while President Trump returns to the White House."
The White House, in a statement announcing Cheney's Presidential Citizens Medal: "Throughout two decades in public service, including as a congresswoman for Wyoming and vice chair of the committee on the January 6 attack, Liz Cheney has raised her voice—and reached across the aisle—to defend our nation and the ideals we stand for: freedom, dignity, and decency. Her integrity and intrepidness remind us all what is possible if we work together."
Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, in a statement to Politico: "[Biden] was either going to pardon Liz Cheney or give her an award. She doesn't deserve either. She represents partisanship and divisiveness — not Wyoming."
What Happens Next
Trump will return to the White House as president following his inauguration on January 20. Cheney, who exited Congress in 2023 after losing to a Trump-endorsed GOP primary opponent the previous year, is likely to remain a staunch critic of the president-elect during his second term.
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