Cheney Issues Head-Scratching Statement Following Trump Victory
During a segment on "Morning Joe," co-host Mika Brzezinski discussed a statement issued by former Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s win. Brzezinski was joined by writer and international affairs analyst Tom Nichols for the discussion.
"Tom, you argue in your latest piece for The Atlantic that democracy is not over," Brzezinski began, preparing to address Cheney’s pointed comments. "I’ll get to that in just a moment, but first, I want to read Liz Cheney’s statement on the results of this election."
She continued, “She tweeted, ‘Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night, and we have a new president-elect. All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections. We now have a special responsibility as citizens of the greatest nation on Earth to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years. Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press, and those serving in our federal, state, and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy,’” Brzezinski quoted before asking Nichols if “that could really happen.”
Nichols responded, “Well, strangely enough, I think I’m glad Trump won an outright majority because I don’t think the country could have handled another election where the Electoral College resulted in the kind of odd outcome we’ve seen in the past—where the popular vote loser becomes president.” He acknowledged that the Founding Fathers designed the Electoral College based on their skepticism about direct democracy’s long-term viability.
“This brings clarity,” Nichols added. “You know, Donny mentioned not confronting people directly. But in this case, it’s clear: this is the choice 51 percent of Americans made. This isn’t an accident, not the Russians, not a fluke. The American people made a choice. He is the legitimately elected president of the United States.”
Nichols went on to agree with Cheney’s call to action, saying, “I echoed her message this morning, urging those who care about democracy to pay attention to what happens in our courts, in state governments, in the civil service, and in the military. These institutions are still here, and they all need protection.”
However, Nichols also voiced a deeper concern, revealing, “I had been feeling uneasy about this election for some time,” he said, hinting at a shift in the public mindset. "That feeling solidified when I spoke to a Trump supporter in Pennsylvania last week. I realized then that this postmortem about what Biden or Harris or other candidates could have done may be missing the point. Something has changed in America that is truly concerning.”
Following the election, several world leaders reached out to Trump with messages of congratulations for his historic return to the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on the X platform, “Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!”
Netanyahu continued, “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” He shared a photo with his wife, Sara, alongside Trump.