JD Vance set off a firestorm within certain elements of the Republican Party on Thursday with a blistering critique of Liz Cheney, who recently made waves by endorsing Kamala Harris for president. Cheney’s endorsement, which stemmed from her long-standing opposition to Donald Trump, has only further distanced her from the Republican base, a break that began with her involvement in the January 6th Committee. The committee itself became infamous for presenting a one-sided narrative and suppressing key evidence—most notably, Trump’s request to deploy the National Guard before the Capitol riot.
Vance, who’s never been one to pull punches, went after Cheney with full force, specifically targeting her hawkish foreign policy legacy. He didn’t mince words, accusing her of building a career on sending American soldiers to die in pointless conflicts for her own gain.
Vance’s takedown began with a scathing assessment: “The best thing about the next presidency of Donald Trump is that he’s going to make sure people like Liz Cheney are laughed out of the Oval Office instead of rewarded.” Vance made it clear that Cheney’s policies had been disastrous, particularly her unrelenting support for military interventions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. He accused her of being willing to sacrifice American lives for the pipe dream of turning war-torn regions into “thriving liberal democracies.”
.@JDVance annihilates Liz Cheney after she endorsed Kamala earlier today: “The next presidency of Donald Trump will make sure people like Liz Cheney are laughed out of the Oval Office instead of rewarded. This is a person whose entire career has been about sending other peoples’… pic.twitter.com/GrpHg3uJ4a
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 5, 2024
Vance also called out Cheney’s new alliance with Kamala Harris, sarcastically suggesting that they make the perfect pair: “They get rich when America’s sons and daughters go off to die. They get rich when America loses wars instead of winning them.” Vance tapped into a long-standing criticism—that politicians like Cheney profit from endless wars while ordinary Americans bear the cost.
This is hardly a novel critique. Conservatives have long been critical of Cheney’s foreign policy record, even before Trump became a dominant force in Republican politics. But Vance’s comments struck a nerve among those in the GOP who still shy away from questioning the moral legitimacy of America’s foreign interventions. While some see Cheney as a figure of moral rectitude, especially in light of her anti-Trump stance, others, like Vance, view her as emblematic of a failed foreign policy establishment that has led to death, chaos, and misery across the globe.
What’s particularly striking is how Cheney’s track record is often overlooked by those who still view her as a “principled” Republican. As Vance pointed out, her involvement in conflicts like those in Libya and Syria has left devastation in its wake. Libya, which Cheney supported bombing, has become a lawless state with modern-day slave markets, while the civil war in Syria, prolonged by U.S. support for Islamist rebels, has killed hundreds of thousands. And yet, Cheney has shown no remorse for the human cost of these interventions.
This is revolting from a vice presidential nominee who is too smart to pretend to be this ignorant and–maybe even worse–unclever. Vance is dumbing himself down for the worst ppl on the right. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. https://t.co/RL7AhvmcBA
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) September 5, 2024
The point Vance is driving home is simple: Cheney’s foreign policy has not only failed but has actively harmed millions. She, along with others in the establishment, has pursued reckless interventions without any accountability for the destruction left behind. The idea that someone with such a record can claim the moral high ground is, as Vance suggests, deeply troubling.
Vance didn’t stop there. He took aim at Cheney’s financial interests, implying that politicians like her have profited from these endless wars. And he’s not wrong—Cheney’s political rise has been built, in large part, on her reputation as a foreign policy hawk. While the personal financial gain from these wars may not always be easy to track, it’s clear that many politicians have made careers—and fortunes—on the back of policies that have led to untold suffering.
Critics of Vance’s remarks are quick to deflect by accusing him of supporting dictators or rejecting American leadership. But Vance is arguing for a more nuanced understanding of global politics—one that recognizes the devastating human toll of Cheney’s policies. As Vance highlighted, the alternatives in places like Libya and Syria were not black and white. But the outcomes of Cheney’s interventions have been unquestionably worse, with Libya now a failed state and Syria still mired in violence.
