Trump ‘not fit to lead’ the US

Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said former president Donald Trump is not fit to lead the US, urging voters to put country over party as they campaigned together on Thursday.

Cheney and her father Dick Cheney, who was vice president under George W Bush and is still vilified by Democrats for his bullish defense of the Iraq War, are staunch conservatives and two of the most prominent Republicans to have endorsed Harris against Trump in the November 5 election.

Both have sharply criticised Trump, the Republican nominee, calling his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol disqualifying.

“I was a Republican even before Donald Trump started spray tanning,” Cheney joked at the event in Wisconsin, describing herself as a Ronald Reagan conservative. “I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” she said, her first vote ever for a Democrat.

Cheney’s comments could help Harris as she tries to court Republican and centrist voters in what polls show to be a very tight race with Trump.

To win, Harris needs to win over Republicans and independents wary of him without alienating her base, particularly in states like Wisconsin that can swing toward Republican or Democrat and are likely to decide the election.

Cheney was the top Republican on the House of Representatives committee that investigated the January 6 riot, earning Trump’s disdain and effectively exiling her from the party.

“Our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before,” Cheney said, pointing to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

“What January 6th shows us,” Cheney said, “is that there is not an ounce, not an ounce, of compassion in Donald Trump. He is petty, he is vindictive and he is cruel. And Donald Trump is not fit to lead this good and great nation.”

On Wednesday, a judge unsealed a 165-page court filing outlining federal prosecutors’ case against Trump for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction.

Cheney said she and Harris may disagree on some things but they are bound together by their duty to the Constitution. Harris will be a president “who will defend the rule of law,” Cheney said.

“She’s working to unite reasonable people from all across the political spectrum,” she said. “I’m honored to join her in this urgent cause.”

Harris has adopted a centre-to-right-leaning stance on several issues, including her staunch support for Israel, a border policy tough on migrants and an all-of-the-above energy strategy to keep fuel costs low.

Kathy Rubino, 74, a retired nurse practitioner and an independent at the Wisconsin event, said she plans to vote for Harris and praised Cheney.