Biden Suddenly Admires Dick Cheney Over Trump Derangement
President Joe Biden recently expressed admiration for former Vice President Dick Cheney, a notable shift given Biden’s history of criticizing Cheney during his political career. This praise came after Liz Cheney, the ousted Wyoming representative and daughter of Dick Cheney, campaigned alongside Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin. Biden remarked on their relationship, acknowledging their differences but highlighting Cheney’s “courage and honesty.”
This newfound respect contrasts sharply with Biden’s previous condemnations of Cheney, whom he had labeled as one of the most dangerous vice presidents in U.S. history during a debate in 2008. Biden has consistently criticized Cheney’s policies and decisions during his tenure under President George W. Bush, arguing that they were detrimental to America’s foreign policy and national security.
The change in Biden’s tone correlates with a broader context of the Cheney family’s political shift, particularly Liz Cheney’s endorsement of Democrats, including Kamala Harris, in the upcoming election against Donald Trump. This evolution of political allegiances among the Cheneys and Biden’s comments reflect a significant shift in the political landscape.
Joe Biden says he’s “always admired” former Vice President Dick Cheney after the 81-year-old president spent a career trashing his predecessor in the Naval Observatory.
Biden praised Cheney after ousted Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin on Thursday.
“I know her dad,” Biden told reporters upon stepping off of Air Force One. “We argue like hell but I always admired his courage and honesty.”
“One of most consequential speeches I’ve ever heard. She has character. I know her dad. We argue like hell but I always admired his courage and honesty. What she did – physical courage. I’ve never been so proud…Character dammit is what we need in this country!”
Biden on Cheney pic.twitter.com/8KutMakQmI
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) October 4, 2024
The sudden admiration for one of the most vilified figures among the left just 20 years ago marks a sharp turn from how Biden spoke about Dick Cheney throughout his career in politics. When Vice President Cheney was still in office, Biden called him “the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history” during the 2008 debate with then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Biden went on to trash Vice President Cheney after his own election to replace him that fall. In December 2008, Biden told former Clinton fixer George Stephanopoulos that Cheney’s policy prescriptions under President George W. Bush were “not healthy for our foreign policy, not healthy for our national security, and it has not been consistent with our Constitution.”
In April of the Obama-Biden administration’s first year, then-Vice President Biden continued to swipe at his Republican predecessor.
“His power weakened America, in my view,” Biden told CNN.
“There was Cheney and his own sort of separate national security agency, and then there was the National Security Agency. There was Powell, who didn’t agree with Cheney, and Cheney off with Rumsfeld,” Biden added. “There was a divided government, a divided administration.”
CBS News called Biden and Cheney the “dueling VPs,” and they exchanged fire well into the Obama administration over federal guidelines on torture.
“Thank god the last administration didn’t listen to him in the end,” Biden said, after presented with Cheney recommending U.S. interrogators have the ability to waterboard terrorist suspects.
Biden’s sudden about-face on Dick Cheney follows the Cheney family backing Democrats in the upcoming election against former President Donald Trump. The former Republican vice president endorsed Harris in September, and his daughter, Liz, spoke at a Democrat campaign rally Thursday.
“I tell you, I have never voted for a Democrat,” Liz Cheney told a crowd in Ripon, Wisconsin. “But this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Liz Cheney, however, has been campaigning for Democrats for years. In 2022, the ex-GOP House conference chair backed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for another term with the gavel just before Election Day and also campaigned against Republicans in Arizona.
Trump responded to Liz Cheney’s appearance with Harris by calling the former congresswoman a “stupid warhawk.”
“All she wants to do is shoot missiles at people,” Trump said of Cheney. “I think they hurt each other,” Trump added. “I think they’re so bad, both of them.”
Omg Trump just bodied Liz Cheney before she takes the stage with Kamala:
Liz Cheney is a stupid Warhawk. All she wants to do is shoot missiles at people.” pic.twitter.com/DVyachomrW
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) October 3, 2024
Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected]. Sign up for Tristan’s email newsletter here.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
