OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A desperate campaign for Democrat presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is twisting every word it can from former President Donald Trump and his surrogates in order to do maximum damage to him.
The most recent example is the Harris campaign and some in the media insinuating that the former president said that former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney should be lined up before a “firing squad” and shot.
But if you listen to the entire quote from the former president, you see that what he said is that Cheney and DC swamp creatures like her have no issue with sending other people’s kids to war when they are safe at home and not facing another army.
“I don’t blame [former Vice President Dick Cheney] for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter is a very dumb individual. Very dumb, she’s a radical war hawk. 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 said. “You know, they’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in the nice buildings saying, ‘Oh gee well, let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.”
When asked about the comments Vice President Kamala Harris said that the former president “has increased his violent rhetoric…about political opponents and in great detail suggested rifles should be trained on former Representative Liz Cheney. This must be disqualifying.”
“Representative Cheney is a true patriot who has shown extraordinary courage in putting country above party,” she said. “Trump is increasingly, however, someone who considers his political opponents the enemy, is permanently out for revenge, and is increasingly unstable and unhinged.”
But Zack Beauchamp, a reporter for the traditionally liberal Vox news organization, actually fact-checked the vice president and others in the media while still managing to attack the former president.
“Folks, Trump didn’t threaten to execute Liz Cheney. He actually was calling her a chickenhawk, something liberals said about her for ages. Look at the context — Trump is talking about giving her a weapon. Typically, people put in front of firing squads aren’t armed,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Trump does so many offensive things, and makes so many anti-democratic promises, that it’s actually counterproductive to get outraged about fake ones.,” the reporter said.
“It is not ‘defending’ Trump to describe what he said accurately — it is basic intellectual honesty. Telling the truth is how we in the media retain our credibility, especially when we frequently (and rightfully!) criticize Trump,” he added.
Beauchamp said in response to a commenter on X: “I agree! It was also legitimately bad when Trump suggested Cheney be put in front of a televised military tribunal. His actual policy proposals for American democracy are even worse. All of which is all the more reason to avoid crying wolf.”
The New York Times used a headline that read, “Trump attacks Liz Cheney using violent war imagery.” The Washington Post said in its headline that “Trump suggests ‘war hawk’ Liz Cheney should have guns ‘trained to her face.’” And CNN’s headline said “Trump says ‘war hawk’ Liz Cheney should be fired upon in escalation of violent rhetoric against his opponents.”
“Former President Donald Trump is escalating his violent rhetoric, suggesting one of his most prominent critics, the former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, should be fired upon,” CNN anchor Kasie Hunt said.
“When he says nine barrels shooting at her, that obviously evokes images of a firing squad. It evokes images of an execution, does it not?” CNN anchor Jim Acosta said during an interview with Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett.
In one short video you can see the propaganda from @CNN on how they frame Trump’s comments on Liz Cheney and Biden calling half the nation garbage.
Watch @VictorBlackwell and @AmaraCNN give Biden a soft landing but ignore key context in what Trump said.
Shameless propaganda. pic.twitter.com/xB2zBSvv8m
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) November 2, 2024
But even some of the former president’s critics castigated the Harris campaign and media’s coverage of the comments.
“Trump did NOT call for Liz Cheney to be executed,” former Republican congressman and supporter of the vice president Joe Walsh said on X. “Look, you know how I feel about Trump, and I’ve been out there every day for 2-3 months campaigning my ass off to help get @KamalaHarris elected, but this short clip is so deceptive. Trump is NOT calling for Liz Cheney to be executed in front of a firing line. He’s not. Listen to the entirety of what he said.”
“He’s an utterly horrible human being who’s utterly unfit for office, but the truth should always matter. And the truth is that Trump is not calling for Liz Cheney to be executed,” he said.
“Donald Trump did not call for the execution of Liz Cheney. That is a bald-faced lie,” The Young Turks’ host and critic of the former president, Cenk Uygur said. “He was making a point about how she is a chickenhawk. But also, Trump shouldn’t talk about guns being ‘trained on her face,’ especially in a time where we’re worried about political violence.”
