North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R) on Sunday quipped that this election is a “weird matchup season,” in response to former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former Vice President Dick Cheney (R) endorsing Vice President Harris over former President Trump in the general election.
Burgum said on NBC News' “Meet the Press” that Dick Cheney Formerly known as “Darth Cheney” Democrats have criticized him for his hardline foreign policy stance, with some alleging he is a war criminal.
“And now, overnight, they [Democrats] “We’re embracing him,” Burgum said, “so I suspect he’ll be campaigning with the senator on the campaign trail. [Bernie] Sanders [I-Vt.]So it's odd couple season right now.”
Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, appeared after Burgum on “Meet the Press.”
Asked by anchor Kristen Welker what he would say to undecided voters who might be influenced by the Cheneys' endorsement of Trump and their warnings, Burgum replied, “Well, I don't know if undecided voters would be influenced, because I think it's well known that former Vice President Cheney is not a fan of President Trump.”
He later suggested he should ask Sanders the same question. When Welker asked if he would welcome Liz Cheney if he saw her on the campaign trail, Sanders responded, “I think what Dick and Liz Cheney are saying is that at this existential moment in American history, there are more than just issues. Cheney and I don't agree on anything, on any issue. But what we do believe is that America should maintain its democratic foundations.”
Cheney, who has become one of Trump's most vocal critics since the Capitol storming, publicly endorsed Harris last week, citing the “danger” Trump poses, and insisted she remains a conservative who wants the Republican Party to be “rebuilt” to what it was before Trump's leadership.
The next day, her father also announced he was supporting Harris over Trump.
In a statement, the former vice president said Americans have an “obligation” to uphold the Constitution, regardless of party affiliation.
“In the 248-year history of our country, there has never been a greater threat to our nation than Donald Trump,” he wrote. “He tried to steal the last election, using lies and violence to maintain his hold on power after it was rejected by voters. He cannot be entrusted with power again.”
Burgum, who ran closely for the Republican presidential nomination last year before dropping out due to low polls, is a supporter of Trump. His name was floated as a possible running mate for Trump and he later claimed that Trump had seemingly invited him to serve in his cabinet if he were to win a second term in the White House.
