Brussels: US President Joe Biden said it appears that the Republican Party is going through a “mini-revolution” as a rift between members loyal to his predecessor President Donald Trump and those like Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney who are critical of him has grown to a boiling point.
“It seems as though the Republican Party is trying to identify what it stands for. And they’re in the midst of significant sort of mini-revolution going on in the Republican Party,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Wednesday after addressing his administration’s implementation of the ‘American Rescue Plan’.
“I’ve been a Democrat for a long time. We’ve gone through periods where we’ve had internal fights, disagreements. I don’t remember any like this,” he said.
“I think the Republicans are further away from trying to figure out who they are and what they stand for than I thought they would be at this point.”
Biden’s comments came as rank-and-file House Republicans became increasingly furious about Cheney over her repeated denunciation of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that his defeat in the 2020 election was the result of widespread voter fraud.
The possibility of Cheney being removed from her leadership post, ranking third in the House Republican hierarchy, is looming large as those opposing her fear that the deviation from a “single message” within the party caused by Cheney will harm the prospect of it regaining House majority in the upcoming midterm elections in 2022.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise, the top two House Republicans ranking ahead of Cheney, have both supported New York Republican Representative Elise Stefanik for replacing the Wyoming Congresswoman as House Republican Conference chair.
Trump also endorsed Stefanik, saying in a statement that his staunch ally who vigorously supported him during his two impeachments “is a far superior choice” for the job Cheney is currently undertaking.
A vote on whether to expel Cheney is expected as soon as next week.
