Liz Cheney declines to rule out running for president to stop another Trump term

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is vowing to continue her fight against former President Donald Trump — and declining to rule out a presidential run of her own.

Cheney spoke with Today after House Republicans on Wednesday voted to remove her as chair of the House Republican Conference following her criticism of Trump's false election claims. She told NBC she'll do "everything I can" to ensure Trump will not be "anywhere close to the Oval Office" again. When Savannah Guthrie repeatedly asked whether that fight could include running for president herself to prevent another Trump term, Cheney dodged the question three times.

"Would you run for president to stop that?" Guthrie asked.

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"I'm going to do everything that I can, both to make sure that that never happens, but also to make sure that the Republican Party gets back to substance and policy," she said.

When Guthrie directly asked again if she would rule out a presidential run, Cheney only said that "right now," she's "focused on making sure that our party becomes again a party that stands for truth" and conservative principles, while vowing to do "whatever it takes" to ensure Trump will not "unravel the democracy."

Cheney in the interview also slammed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), saying it's "sad" and "dangerous" that he is "not leading with principle," and she criticized him for his "stunning" visit to Trump at Mar-a-Lago in the wake of the Capitol riot.

"[Trump] provoked an attack on the Capitol, an attack on our democracy," Cheney said. "And so I can't understand why you would want to go rehabilitate him." Brendan Morrow