Trump says Cheney wouldn’t be 'war hawk' if 'guns are trained on her'

Watch: Trump attacks "radical war hawk" Liz Cheney

Sam Cabral
BBC News, Washington

Donald Trump has suggested that one of his most vocal Republican critics Liz Cheney would not be a "radical war hawk" if she was in a war herself and had guns "trained on her face".

The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, prompting criticism of his "violent rhetoric" from the Kamala Harris campaign.

The Trump campaign rejected the criticism, calling Cheney a warmonger.

The former Wyoming congresswoman responded on Friday: "This is how dictators destroy free nations."

"They threaten those who speak against them with death," she posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant."

Speaking to Carlson on Thursday night in Glendale, one of the largest cities in swing state of Arizona, Trump said: "Let's put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let's see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face."

He added: "They're all war hawks when they're sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, 'Oh, gee, well let's send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.'"

Kamala Harris slammed Trump's remarks as "disqualifying" while speaking to reporters on a tarmac in Wisconsin on Friday.

“Trump is increasingly, however, someone who considers his political opponents the enemy, is permanently out for revenge, and is increasingly unstable and unhinged,” she said.

"Liz Cheney is a tough person, she is an incredible American and I have an incredible amount of respect for her."

But Trump defended himself, writing on his Truth Social platform: "All I’m saying about Liz Cheney is that she is a War Hawk, and a dumb one at that, but she wouldn’t have “the guts” to fight herself."

Cheney represented a district in Wyoming for three terms in the US House of Representatives and was once the third-highest ranking House Republican.

She has endorsed Harris, arguing that Trump's actions during the US Capitol riot in 2021 were evidence that he “can never be trusted with power again”.

In the past month, she has made campaign appearances alongside Harris in an effort to reach disaffected Republicans in key swing states.

Though she voted mostly in line with Trump while he served in the White House, she fell out with him over the Capitol riot and voted in favour of his second impeachment.

Her father, former US Vice-President Dick Cheney, has also indicated he is among the Republicans who will cast their 2024 ballot for Harris.

Opinion polls suggest Trump is locked in a dead heat with Harris in the race for the White House ahead of Tuesday's vote.

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