Top Republican: Trump is not the party leader

Liz Cheney says Trump is no longer in charge of GOP

Former President Trump is no longer the leader of the Republican Party, House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney told reporters Monday at a lawmaker retreat not far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy should be considered the national heads of the party, she said.
“I think our elected leaders are the ones who are in charge,” she said in response to a question from a reporter about the role Trump should play in the party going forward. “And I think as we look at ’22 and ’24, we’re very much going to be focused on substance and on the issues.”

Cheney was among only 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the deadly January 6 riot at the Capitol. During the Feb. 3 GOP conference meeting, several members asked Cheney to apologize for her vote to impeach Trump, but she refused.

“I cannot do that,” she said.
“As we look at 2022 and 2024, we are very much going to be focused on substance and on the issues, and I think that is where we have to go to attract back the voters that we lost in 2020 by conveying to them that, in fact, we are the party that they can trust regarding confidence and conservative principles,” Cheney said Monday.