Vice President Harris on Friday condemned former President Trump’s remarks describing former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as having guns “trained on her face,” saying that rhetoric should disqualify him from being president again.
“He has increased his violent rhetoric, Donald Trump has, about political opponents, and in great detail…suggested rifles should be trained on former representative Liz Cheney. This must be disqualifying,” Harris said. “Anyone who wants to be president of the United States who uses that kind of violent rhetoric is clearly disqualified and unqualified to be president.”
Trump made the comments about Cheney during a fireside chat with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in Arizona on Thursday evening while criticizing the former congresswoman’s foreign policy. He was also critical of her and former Vice President Dick Cheney for endorsing Harris.
“She’s a radical war hawk,” Trump said. “Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK. Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face. You know, they’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, oh, gee, we’ll, let’s send — let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.”
Harris argued that Trump’s rhetoric has grown more extreme and that his enemies list has grown longer.
“Representative Cheney is a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party,” the vice president said. “Trump is increasingly, however, someone who considers his political opponents the enemy, is permanently out for revenge and is increasingly unstable and unhinged.”
She argued that her political rival’s comment on Cheney has the potential to impact the standing of the U.S. globally because leaders should instead talk about the importance of democracy and the rule of law.
Harris said she hasn’t spoken to Cheney since Trump's comments to Carlson on Thursday.
“Liz Cheney is a tough person, she is an incredible American,” Harris said when asked if the administration would consider providing security for the former congresswoman.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday said President Biden was aware of the Trump comments and condemned them.
“It is unacceptable. It is dangerous to speak to political violence, to talk about political violence, to lift up political violence,” she said.
Cheney responded to Trump’s remarks, posting on the social platform X that it was akin to a death threat.
“This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death,” she said.
Harris’s senior campaign adviser Ian Sams also slammed Trump for “dangerous, violent rhetoric” earlier on Friday.
In response to the backlash, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that his words were being taken out of context.
“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,” Leavitt said.
