Trump to rally in Wyoming against GOP foe Rep. Liz Cheney
Former President Donald Trump on Monday announced a large rally in Wyoming to boost Harriet Hageman, the Republican challenger seeking to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney.
The rally will be held in Casper, Wyo., on Saturday, May 28, Trump’s Save America PAC said.
Hageman, an attorney, and Cheney, who is a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, face off on Aug. 16 in the nation’s least populous state.
Cheney was the No. 3 House Republican until she was ousted last year in retaliation for her persistent criticism of Trump. Her House colleagues initially stood by her after she joined nine other Republicans in voting to impeach Trump for allegedly inciting last year’s Capitol riot, but soured on her continued rebukes of the ex-president.
Cheney later joined a Democrat-led committee probing the riot. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected pro-Trump Republicans nominated to the panel by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
Trump and Cheney clashed on foreign policy during his four years in office — with Trump advocating an “America first” mantra, which included pressing allies to finance their own defense.
In December 2020, Trump vetoed a $740 billion defense bill in part because of Cheney-pushed restrictions on removing US troops from Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea.
Trump routinely refers to Cheney and her father as “warmongers” and he attacked her by name in a speech to his supporters before they stormed the Capitol to disrupt certification of President Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.
“We’ve got to get rid of the weak congresspeople, the ones that aren’t any good, the Liz Cheney’s of the world. We got to get rid of them. We got to get rid — you know, she never wants a soldier brought home.” Trump said.
There isn’t much public polling in the Wyoming race, making it difficult to gauge the likely outcome.
A straw poll conducted in January by the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee, however, had Hageman leading with 59 votes to Cheney’s six.
The election could have significant long-term effects. Cheney told The Post in an exclusive interview last year that she may one day run for president.
Some Democrats also view Cheney as a potential running mate for Biden in 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris in January slammed “gossip” that Biden might replace her on the Democratic ticket with someone else, such as Cheney.
