NBC’s Guthrie asks defeated Liz Cheney if she’ll run for president, if it’s ‘better’ Democrats win midterms

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NBC’s Guthrie asks defeated Liz Cheney if she’ll will run for president, if it’s ‘better’ Democrats win midterms

In an interview with Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Wednesday, NBC’s "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie wondered if the GOP lawmaker was considering a run for president in 2024.

In an interview with Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Wednesday, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie wondered if the GOP lawmaker and Donald Trump critic was considering a run for president in 2024 and if it would be "better" if Democrats were victorious in the 2024 midterms.

Coming off a widely expected, lopsided Republican primary defeat for her at-large district, Cheney appeared on "Today" to discuss her future as well has her continued work on the Jan. 6 House committee, which has infuriated Trump supporters.

"You said this fight is just beginning. You've even launched a political organization already, so let's just be straight about it. Are you considering running for president yourself?," Guthrie asked. 

Cheney dodged the question, replying, "Well, what I'm going to do, Savannah, is spend the next several months completing my work in Congress, obviously completing my work representing the people of Wyoming." She then warned: "I'm going to be making sure that people all around this country understand the stakes of what we're facing, understand the extent to which we've now got one major political party, my party, which has really become a cult of personality."

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Still trying to get an answer, Guthrie followed up, "Well, I know you didn't say yes or no, and that's fine if you're thinking about it. But are you thinking about it? Are you thinking about running for president?"

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-WY, departs after speaking to supporters during a primary night event on August 16, 2022 in Jackson, Wyoming. Rep. Cheney was defeated in her primary race by Wyoming Republican congressional candidate Harriet Hageman.  (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Cheney admitted that it was a possibility: "That's a decision that I'm going to make in the coming months, and I'm not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something that I am thinking about, and I'll make a decision in the coming months."

Guthrie worried about many of the Trump-backed Republican candidates who have been successful in the primary election season: "And 64% of the Republicans who have won their primaries are election deniers…. That is who is coming to Congress if Republicans prevail and get control of Congress." 

The morning show anchor then seemed to press Cheney to endorse Democrats in the upcoming midterm general election: "Given that state of affairs, do you think it would be better for the country if Democrats retained control?" 

Cheney tried to avoid weighing in on the leading question, replying, "I don't think that anybody in any political party should support election deniers." 

During an interview with Rep. Liz Cheney for NBC's "Today" show, co-host Savannah Guthrie asked if the recently defeated GOP lawmaker would run for president. (Screeenshot/NBC)

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Guthrie was undeterred: "Let me try it one more time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she fears for our very democracy if Republicans win in November. Do you?" 

Cheney responded, "I think we have to make sure that we are fighting against every single election denier. The election deniers right now are Republicans. And I think that it shouldn't matter what party you are. Nobody should be voting for those people, supporting them or backing them."

Wrapping up the exchange, Guthrie highlighted a rather dramatic fictional analogy employed to describe Cheney’s political situation.

"We have word on the street that you and your team were fond of an editorial recently that likened you to Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, who said to Darth Vader, essentially, as they duked it out, ‘If you strike me down now, I will be stronger in death.’ Is that how you see it? You're stronger in political death this morning?" she asked..

Cheney replied, "Well, I don't see it as death this morning…. And certainly I am absolutely going to continue this battle."

Liz Cheney has been likened by some supporters to Obi-Wan Kenobi in the "Star Wars" series. (Lucasfilm)

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I think it's the most important thing I've ever been involved in, and I think it's certainly the most important thing challenge that our nation has faced in recent history and maybe since the Civil War. And it's one that we must win," she said.

On Tuesday, NewsBusters noted NBC News senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson also touting the "Star Wars" comparison on the "Today" show. The Media Research Center’s Research Director Scott Whitlock pointed out the irony of NBC making such a reference after it once compared Liz Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, to "Darth Vader" during a report in 2011.