In coming days, ex-President Donald Trump will be speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, otherwise known as CPAC, in his first public appearance following his departure from the White House. Meanwhile, in recent days, Trump has repeatedly reiterated his belief that he was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election, no matter the total delusion of this position. No court anywhere in the country ever even partially accepted the idea that any kind of systematic fraud was responsible for Joe Biden’s presidential election victory, but Trump’s dangerous nonsense continues.
On Wednesday, while speaking with reporters, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said that she doesn’t think that the ex-president should have a “role” in the “future of the country.” Cheney was one of ten House Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment last month after his incitement of a riot at the Capitol on January 6, when a mob of his supporters tried to forcibly stop the formal certification of Biden’s victory.
Asked whether she thinks that Trump should be speaking at CPAC, Cheney — who’s a member of House leadership — said as follows:
‘That’s up to CPAC. I’ve been clear in my views about President Trump and the extent to which, following January 6 — I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country.’
After Cheney’s comments, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) abruptly ended the press availability, commenting: “On that high note, thank you all very much.” Before Cheney, McCarthy bluntly said that “yes,” he believes that Trump “should” be speaking at CPAC. Check out the moments below:
Q: Do you believe former President Trump should speaking at CPAC?@GOPLeader: "Yes he should."@RepLizCheney: "That's up to CPAC….I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country."
McCarthy: "On that high note, thank you very much." pic.twitter.com/ZOkTUbpQCP
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 24, 2021
Cheney faced criticism from within the GOP after her vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment. House Republicans held a vote on whether she would remain in a leadership position — and she won the vote, retaining her position of leadership, although there were a fair number of House Republicans who voted against her presence in the party’s House leadership. On a similar note, the seven Senate Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s conviction at the conclusion of his recent trial have faced steep criticism from within the Republican party. Senators Bill Cassidy (La.) and Richard Burr (N.C.) were both censured by their respective state party organizations — although these censures don’t carry a lot of substantive weight, they constitute formal rebukes.
Trump, for his part, has remained engaged in intraparty politics among Republicans. After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) publicly and rather unequivocally blamed Trump for the rioting at the Capitol, Trump — who no longer has a Twitter account — issued a rambling public statement in which he characterized the longtime Kentucky Senator as a “dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack.”
