Shocker: Bush VP Dick Cheney backs Kamala Harris

IN POLITICS. FORMER REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENT AND DEFENSE SECRETARY DICK CHENEY IS BACKING KAMALA HARRIS. THAT MARKS ONE OF HER MOST HIGH RANKING REPUBLICAN ENDORSEMENTS IN THIS CAMPAIGN PROBABLY THE MOST ICONIC. DICK CHENEY IS AN ARCH CONSERVATIVE HAWK AND A GOP ICON, A FIXTURE RUNNING REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS AS CHIEF OF STAFF AND WAR POLICY AS DEFENSE SECT AND VICE PRESIDENT AND DURING 9/11 AND THE WARS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ. THOSE WERE STINTS THAT MADE HIM A FIRE BRAND FOLK HERO ON THE RIGHT AND LOATHED BY MOST PROMINENT WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS. AND INDEED THIS NEWS RIGHT NOW TONIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNHEARD EVER 10 OR 15 YEARS AGO AND CHENEY IS FAR FROM A NEVER TRUMPER. HE ENDORSED DONALD TRUMP IN 2018. THIS ALSO COMPLETES THE CHENEY FAMILY UNUSUAL EVOLUTION AND IT DID NOT COME DURING THE ACTUAL FOUR YEARS OF TRUMP'S PRESIDENCY, HIS GOVERNING PRIORITIES AND HIS MISTAKES, IT CAME OVER WHETHER WE'RE A DEMOCRACY OR A COUP RUN DICTATORSHIP IN THIS COUNTRY. AND THAT CAMS AFTER JOE BIDEN AND FOMENTED AN INSURRECTION. AND LIZ CHENEY WENT TO A CRITIC TO SHARE CHAIRING THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK. NOW HER FATHER JOINS THIS STANCE WHICH PUTS DEMOCRACY ABOVE POLITICS OR ANY POLICIES AND AS A POLITICAL MATTER HELPING TO KAMALA HARRIS IN A TIGHT RACE THAT INCLUDES STATE WHERE'S THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO STILL REALLY LIKE THE BUSH-CHENEY POLICIES OR AS A BETTER REPUBLICAN ERA THAN TRUMPISM. AND DICK CHENEY IS TELLING THEM VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS TONIGHT. LIZ AND DICK HAVE A LONG RECORD DISAGREEING ON KAMALA HARRIS ON EVERYTHING FROM ABORTION TO TAXES, BUT SOMETHING IS MORE IMPORTANT TONIGHT. LIZ CHENEY BROKE THIS NEWS TODAY. >> DICK CHENEY, YOUR FATHER, A BELOVED FIGURE AMONG DEMOCRATS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. DO YOU -- IF YOU KNOW WHO HE WILL BE SUPPORTING OR WHO HE WILL BE VOTING FOR, DO YOU CARE TO SHARE WITH US WHO HE MIGHT BE VOTING FOR. >> DICK CHENEY WILL BE VOTING FOR KAMALA HARRIS. [ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ] >> OKAY. WOW! >> WOW IS RIGHT. YOU COULD HEAR THE CHEERS WHICH HAPPENED TO REFLECT THE ROOM SHE WAS IN. SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A MORE INDEPENDENT ROOM AND THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MIXED REACTION AND IN A MAGA ROOM AND PEOPLE WOULD HAVE HAD THEIR OWN REACTION. ALL OF THE REACTIONS REFLECT THIS IS A BIG DEAL. AND HE SAID WOW, THIS IS A BIG ONE. WE KNEW HOW MANY TOP OFFICIALS ARE SKIPPED THIS YEAR'S MAGA RNC AND SOME HAVE CLEARLY NOT WANTED MORE TRUMP. BUT THEY ALSO HAVE NOT DONE WHAT I'M REPORTING TO YOU LIZ CHENEY JUST ANNOUNCED ABOUT DICK CHENEY. THEY NOT HAVE BACKED A REPUBLICAN NOMINEE WHERE PEOPLE MAKE UP THEIR MINDS. TAKE GEORGE W. BUSH. WE KNOW FROM REPORTING THAT HE VOTED AGAINST TRUMP LAST CYCLE. BUT HE DID IT WITH A WRITE IN CHOICE AN AVOIDED ANY MAJOR CAMPAIGNING. WHATEVER CAPITAL HE HAD, HE DIDN'T USE IT. HE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO VOTE FOR TRUMP. HIS VICE PRESIDENT, DICK CHENEY, WHO IS LOUD AND MUSCULAR AND ROUGH IS DOING CHA WHAT DICK CHENEY DOES. HE MAY HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND DECIDED THAT LIZ CHENEY IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN WHAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A NATURAL FORUM RATHER THAN SOMETHING POLITICAL AND HE KNOWS THAT LIZ CHENEY IS THE ACTIVE CARRIER OF CHENEY POLITICS RATHER THAN IN THE THROW BACK EMERITUS RETIREMENT MODE. AND CHENEY HAS OPPOSED TRUMP'S ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY WITHOUT GOING THIS FAR BEFORE. HE HAD NOT SHARED HIS CONSERVATIVE CREDENTIALS TO HELP BIDEN OR HARRIS, ALTHOUGH WHEN LIZ CHENEY WAS IN HER PRIMARY, HE WAS CLEAR ABOUT THE DANGER OF TRUMP. >> THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS A GREAT THREAT TO OUR REPUBLIC THAN DONALD TRUMP. HE'S A COWARD. I REAL MAN WOULDN'T LIE TO HER SUPPORTERS. HE LOST THIS ELECTION AND HE LOST BIG. I KNOW IT AND HE KNOWS IT AND DEEP DOWN, I THINK MOST REPUBLICANS KNOW IT. >> DO THEY, THOUGH? AGAIN, THAT WAS A CERTAIN TYPE OF ARGUMENT AND THIS GOES FARTHER THAN FAMILY BUSINESS. AND PEOPLE DON'T MAKE UP THEIR MINDS IN A VACUUM. THIS PUBLIC STANCE BY BOTH CHENEYS COULD MATTER. IT IS ALSOICK CHENEY, BACKING K HARRIS, THE ANNOUNCE FROM LIZ CHENEY TODAY. AND JOINED BY THE DEPUTY MANAGER FOR THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN. WELCOME. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, ARI. >> ABSOLUTELY. YOUR REACTION TO WHAT IS UNUSUAL, YOU THINK ABOUT THE BUSH-CHENEY ERA, DICK CHENEY THROUGH HIS DAUGHTER AND ENDORSING KAMALA HARRIS. >> LOOK, I THINK THAT IT SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION. IT IS LITERALLY THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY AND YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT MAY HAVE SUPPORTED DONALD TRUMP IN THE PAST REALIZING HOW DANGEROUS HE IS AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE THAT. BUT THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE FUNERALLY ENDORSING A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, THEY UNDERSTAND THE STAKES OF THIS ELECTION AND AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JEFF DUNCAN SAID IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A DEMOCRAT BY VOTING FOR KAMALA HARRIS, IT MAKES YOU A PATRIOT AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND STANDING UP FOR FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY. >> THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN HAS PREVIEWED SOME OF THE DEBATE STRATEGY. WE'LL BE WATCHING ON TUESDAY. 2025 AND DRAWING A CONTRAST AND SHE ALSO SEEMS TO BE THROUGH HER AIDES ARGUING THAT TRUMP IS NOT UP TO THE JOB. IS THERE AN ARGUMENT HERE THAT HE'S TOO OLD, THAT THERE VISIBLE COGNITIVE DECLINE. >> WELL ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE. DONALD TRUMP IS UNFIT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. BUT ONE THING THAT IS TRUE IS THAT DONALD TRUMP IS A PRETTY SKILLED DEBATER. THIS WILL BE HIS SEVENTH DEBATE, THE MOST OF ANY CANDIDATE IN MODERN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY AND THIS IS VICE PRESIDENT'S HARRIS'S FIRST AND WE KNOW THAT DONALD TRUMP IS PRACTICING HARDER THAN EVER FOR THIS DEBATE SO THE VICE PRESIDENT