(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Left-leaning news outlets pushed an out-of-context claim Friday that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called for the shooting of former House Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., when he was actually emphatically condemning her eagerness for the U.S. to go to war with foreign adversaries.
Trump joined political commentator Tucker Carlson on stage Thursday evening in Glendale, Arizona for the grande finale of his tour, where the former president suggested Cheney try fighting on the front lines rather than sending Americans to die without budging from Washington, D.C.
Drudge Report ran an all-caps headline that read, “TRUMP CALLS FOT CHENEY’S EXECUTION,” and linked to radical leftist Aaron Rupar’s meticulously clipped video of Trump’s remarks at the Arizona event.
We prepared for this moment by getting his name added to the Urban Dictionary
Don’t fall for a Rupar, kids
This is who started the Cheney Hoax pic.twitter.com/Us0jq1jGEj
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 1, 2024
“I don’t blame him for sticking with his daughter, but his daughter is a very dumb individual,” Trump stated regarding Cheney. “Very dumb, she’s a radical war hawk.”
CNN’s coverage of Trump’s chopped remarks included a defamatory chyron that appeared on the network at 11:18 a.m. saying, “TRUMP: LIZ CHENEY SHOULD BE SHOT WITH ‘GUNS TRAINED ON HER FACE.’”
“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with 9 barrels shooting at her, OK?” Trump added in the misleading clip. “Let’s see how she feels about it. You know, when the guns are trained on her face.”
The clip aired on MSNBC and CNN throughout Friday.
Jim Acosta is just running a straight up disinformation op on CNN this morning.
At no point did Donald Trump call for Liz Cheney to be shot.
These people are scum. pic.twitter.com/rMkT6hxgjd
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 1, 2024
In full context, the clip showed Trump’s comment continued.
“They’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, ‘Oh gee, well let’s send 10,000 troops into the mouths of the enemies,’” Trump continued, “but she’s a stupid person and I used to have meetings with a lot of people and she always wanted to go to war with people.”
Here is a taste of @CNN selective editing they constantly use on @realDonaldTrump, when the table is turned on them.
Sounds like their own @kasie Hunt is calling for Liz Cheney to be shot. pic.twitter.com/Ng5KjLhU1r
— Jonathan T Gilliam (@JGilliam_SEAL) November 1, 2024
Despite this, The Atlantic ran the headline “Trump Suggests Training Guns on Liz Cheney’s Face,” and PBS reported “Trump says Liz Cheney might not be such a ‘war hawk’ if she had rifles shooting at her.”
Outlets ran with similar misleading framing including The Washington Post, Axios and CBS News, among others.
The New Republic’s headline claimed Trump made a “Dark Threat” against Cheney and NPR reported Trump used “violent language.”
Kayleigh McEnany: "CNN at 11:18 A.M. had a chyron up which said 'Liz Cheney slams Trump after he calls for her to be shot.' We all heard the statement. Nowhere does he call for her to be shot. That's a defamatory chyron!" pic.twitter.com/KW7lxtbUc6
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) November 1, 2024
Cheney, who previously campaigned with Democrat nominee Kamala Harris, reposted Rupar’s spliced-and-diced clip of Trump’s remarks early Friday and characterized the GOP nominee as a “petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant.”
This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death. We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant. #Womenwillnotbesilenced #VoteKamala https://t.co/URH5s929Sa
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) November 1, 2024
The Trump campaign send out an email blast titled “Even Leftists Are Debunking Latest Fake News Hoax.”
“Trump did NOT call for Liz Cheney to be executed,” Never Trumper Joe Walsh wrote in a lengthy X post. “This is what’s so wrong with our politics today.”
Wash added that the clip was “so deceptive.”
Trump did NOT call for Liz Cheney to be executed.
This is what’s so wrong with our politics today. Look, you know how I feel about Trump, and I’ve been out there every day for 2-3 months campaigning my ass off to help get @KamalaHarris elected, but this short clip is so… https://t.co/MIDckr5CmR
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 1, 2024
Left-leaning outlet Vox’s Zach Beauchamp also chimed in and stated people should realize the context.
“Folks, Trump didn’t threaten to execute Liz Cheney,” Beauchamp began. “He actually was calling her a chickenhawk, something liberals said about her for ages.”
Folks, Trump didn't threaten to execute Liz Cheney. He actually was calling her a chickenhawk, something liberals said about her for ages.
Look at the context — Trump is talking about giving her a weapon. Typically, people put in front of firing squads aren't armed. pic.twitter.com/AmKWkAVfur
— Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp) November 1, 2024
I don’t support Donald Trump but I also don’t support journalists lying to their audiences, and when he says (paraphrased) “these pro-war people wouldn’t be talking such a big game if they were on the front lines” it is actually not the same thing as saying they should be shot https://t.co/kyVtfjkv8e
— Kat Rosenfield (@katrosenfield) November 1, 2024
The Free Press columnist Kat Rosenfield also commented on the misleading clip.
“I don’t support Donald Trump but I also don’t support journalists lying to their audiences,” Rosenfield said.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
