The image is striking. It will be a landmark in the American presidential election, even if it does not alter the balance of power. Two women stood side by side on stage at a Democratic campaign rally in Ripon, Wisconsin, on Thursday, October 3. Two women with often divergent opinions, but brought together by the reality of Donald Trump's third presidential run, threatening the rule of law and democracy. Two women with very similar words on this day: Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney. The daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, a former Wyoming elected official in the House of Representatives, came to lend her support to the Democratic candidate. "In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration," stressed the Republican. "It's our duty."
The rally was held at a symbolic site where the foundations of the Republican Party were laid in 1854. Cheney began by recalling her own involvement: a small helper in a campaign at the age of 10; her first vote for Ronald Reagan in 1984; a long career at the State Department, where she defended her father's neoconservative position; and then Congress. "I was a Republican even before Donald Trump started spray-tanning," she joked. This reminder was intended to respond to the ex-president's attempts to discredit her by portraying her as a traitor to her own party.
"Today I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us," said Cheney. "I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump. And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president." And the crowd shouted, enthusiastically, "Thank you, Liz! Thank you, Liz!"
She was known for her cold, ruthless, methodical approach as a member of the congressional committee investigating the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Cheney had then promised to take a stand against Trump, who had her beaten in the Wyoming primary in August 2022 by supporting another candidate. In August, the former elected official, now a professor at the University of Virginia, did not attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, unlike some other Republicans, such as her former colleague in the House of Representatives, Adam Kinzinger. Cheney was reserving her official endorsement for later, in order to carry more weight in the campaign. She eventually announced, in early September, that she would vote for Harris.
On Thursday, she said the Constitution and its preservation were the main reasons for her action. In particular, she recalled Trump's central role in the attempt to interrupt the peaceful transition of power, after his defeat by Biden in 2020. Then his culpable passivity, during the assault on the Capitol launched by his supporters. "What January 6 shows us is that there is not an ounce of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty, he is vindictive, and he is cruel, and Donald Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation."
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