BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney received a hero's welcome Tuesday night at Lehigh University as she warned that former President Donald Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy.
During the hour-long event at the Zoellner Arts Center, Cheney said Americans have a duty to ensure Trump is not elected to a second term.
While she acknowledged she twice voted for the real estate tycoon, she said his refusal to honor the American tradition of a peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from holding higher office.
"You can survive bad policies. We cannot survive a president who goes to war with the Constitution."Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheyney
Cheney, a conservative who grew up campaigning for Republicans causes, stopped short of endorsing President Joe Biden or any other candidate. But the next president needs to be someone who will place country over self-interest, she said.
"You can survive bad policies," Cheyney said. "We cannot survive a president who goes to war with the Constitution."
Few Americans are more familiar with Trump's efforts to cling to power than Cheney. She served as vice chairwoman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Jan. 6 Select Committee, which interviewed more than 1,000 people and reviewed more than a million documents over its 18-month investigation of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump violated more than 200 years of precedent when he conspired to illegally flip the 2020 election, Cheney said.
'We cannot become numb'
When that didn't work, Trump summoned an angry mob to Washington and pointed it at the Capitol Building as members of Congress worked to confirm that Biden had won, she said.
The facts are indisputable, she said. Trump's inner circle — members of his administration, his advisors and even his own family — testified as much under oath, she said.
"We cannot become numb to what that means to our country."Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., calling Donald Trump an existential threat to American democracy
For hours, Cheney said, Trump refused to intervene and stop the violence as police battled with rioters acting on his behalf.
Even when he was notified a woman had been shot outside the doors to the House of Representatives, Trump refused to call off the mob trying to attack members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence. Instead, he continued to watch the violence on television, Cheney said.
"I don’t care if you’re a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, but that’s depravity," she said. "We cannot become numb to what that means to our country."
Cheney said most Republican congressional leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, have tried to turn the page, or rallied under Trump's banner.
Those officials have enabled Trump, letting him return to the cusp of power, she said.
It would be a mistake to think that established institutions would keep Trump's worst aspects in check should he come back into power, she said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, is actively holding up aide to Ukraine at Trump's bidding, aiding Russian President Vladimir Putin, she said.
Republicans have proven time and again they're putting partisanship ahead of patriotism, she said.
"I say that as someone who has been a Republican my whole life," Cheney said. "It doesn’t give me any joy. It makes me very sad to say that."
An unpopular stand with her party
Her stand against Trump has made Cheney a pariah within her own party.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, lost her leadership position within the House GOP, then lost the 2022 Republican primary race for Wyoming's at-large seat.
Cheney on Tuesday mixed some optimism with her bleak assessment of the current state of the Republican Party.
"Pennsylvania has sent to Congress many important and responsible leaders. But you guys have also sent us some real doozies, too.Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheyney
Trump and his proxies have repeatedly lost contested elections in recent years. If the pattern holds, she said, party leaders may finally recognize the GOP needs to become a serious organization that will focus on responsibly governing rather than conspiracy theories and Trump's cult of personality.
But for that to happen, people of integrity need to step up and put their names on the ballot, she said. Washington needs more people concerned with serving their country than blind loyalty to party.
She highlighted U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, and Charlie Dent, Wild's Republican predecessor, as positive examples.
"Pennsylvania has sent to Congress many important and responsible leaders. But you guys have also sent us some real doozies, too.
"I am not going to mention any names... except maybe Mike Kelly and Scott Perry," Cheney said to laughs from the audience.
Connecting with the crowd
Reps. Kelly and Perry have proven to be some of Trump's biggest advocates in the state. Each worked to overturn Biden's victory in Pennsylvania in the 2020 election.
Cheney was personable and relaxed throughout her lecture and a Q&A session afterward with Mary Anne Madeira, an assistant professor of international relations.
By sharing stories of childhood memories of Republican campaigns or calling for principled stands to protect the Constitution, she built a rapport with the audience, which appeared eager to hear her anti-Trump message.
She set a tone early on when she said she'd grown to like Lehigh University during her dinner earlier in the evening.
"I didn’t know you rescinded your honorary degree" of Trump, Cheney said before being drowned out by laughter and applause.
Two days after the insurrection, Lehigh withdrew the 1988 honorary degree it had awarded Trump. His late brother Fred had graduated from Lehigh in 1962.
Cheney's visit came as the university's 17th annual Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding. The event has previously drawn high-profile speakers such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, novelist Salman Rushdie and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein.
