Scoop: Viral Cheney ad to air on Fox News
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A viral ad in which former Vice President Dick Cheney attacks former President Trump as a "coward" will begin airing on Fox News on Tuesday, a week before his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) faces a Trump-backed primary challenge, Axios has learned.
Driving the news: The ad, which initially aired solely in Wyoming, got so much attention that Cheney's campaign has decided to take it directly to Trump's favorite programs. The ad will air twice daily this week during "Fox & Friends" and once daily on Sean Hannity's prime-time show.
Why it matters: Polls show Liz Cheney — a fierce GOP Trump critic and the vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee — is in danger of being ousted by her Trump-backed opponent, Harriet Hageman.
- But Cheney is playing the long game, potentially in preparation for a 2024 presidential run.
- The ad depicts Cheney as a "fearless" defender of the Constitution who is willing to take on Trump at a time when Republicans continue to embrace him.
What they're saying: "It’s important not only for Fox News viewers, but for the network’s hosts and top executives, to hear former Vice President Cheney’s warning about the ongoing danger Donald Trump and his lies pose to our constitutional republic," Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler tells Axios.
The elder Cheney, donning an "I voted sticker" and a cowboy hat, tells viewers:
"In our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn't lie to his supporters. He lost his election and he lost big. I know he knows it and deep down I think most Republicans know it.
Lynn and I are so proud of Liz for standing up for the truth, doing what's right, honoring her oath to the Constitution when so many in our party are too scared to do so.
Liz is fearless. She never backs down from the fight. There is nothing more important she will ever do than lead the effort to make sure Donald Trump is never again near the Oval Office, and she will succeed. I am Dick Cheney, I proudly voted for my daughter and I hope you will too."— Former Vice President Dick Cheney in "He Knows It" ad
