Cheney: 'Guardrails of democracy' must keep Trump in check

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Wednesday that citizens, courts, media and elected officials would now serve as the “guardrails of democracy” after former President Trump resoundingly won a second term.

“Our nation’s democratic system functioned last night and we have a new President-elect," Cheney, a prominent critic of the former president, wrote on the social platform X. "All Americans are bound, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections."

“We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions hold over these coming four years,” she continued. “Citizens across this country, our courts, members of the press and those serving in our federal, state and local governments must now be the guardrails of democracy.”

Trump was projected as the winner early Wednesday over Vice President Harris. He clinched key swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada — and could be on track to win the last two remaining battleground states of Michigan and Arizona.

Cheney’s feud with Trump is personal — she lost her leadership spot as House GOP conference chair in 2021 after being outspoken against Trump’s baseless claims about the 2020 election. She also sat on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

That prompted Trump to endorse a primary challenger to her, and Cheney lost reelection during the primary of the 2022 midterm cycle. The former lawmaker and her father, former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney, endorsed Harris earlier this year.

Republicans also enjoyed a good night in the Senate, where they flipped and expanded control of the upper chamber, defeating red state Democrat Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), with potentially more flips to come.

Control over the House has yet to be determined, though Democrats could make inroads in New York and flip several seats.