Even in the wake of the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building, a sizable number of Trump supporters said they would leave the Republican Party if the former president were to create a third party. And RINOs like Sen. Mitt Romney admit if he were to run again in 2024, he’d easily win the GOP nomination. Like it or not, Trump's a dominating force in the party. So things got awkward during a news conference Wednesday when Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump, couldn’t keep her mouth shut about the 45th president.
When asked by a reporter if the former president should have a speaking role at CPAC, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responded, "Yes, he should."
But then the reporter went to Cheney for comment. At first, she did take the diplomatic approach and said, "That's up to CPAC," but she didn’t leave it there.
"I've been clear in my views about President Trump and the extent to which following January 6th, I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country," she continued.
Rep. Steve Scalise, who was standing next to Cheney, shook his head, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy quickly wrapped up the news conference.
"On that high note, thank you very much," said McCarthy, who supported Cheney even when many Republican lawmakers sought to remove her from her leadership position.
I hope she enjoys her last term in office. https://t.co/MvyBmcV0z3
— Ned Ryun (@nedryun) February 24, 2021
Liz Cheney knows she can't get reelected in Wyoming because the people there hate her, so she's trying hard to make sure her new friends at CNN will hire her once she loses her primary. #LincolnProjectLiz is less popular with Republicans than Andrew Cuomo is at nursing homes!!! https://t.co/IBZkim3YgI
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 24, 2021