Joe Biden’s swan song as president is shaping up to be a predictable display of partisan pageantry, and what better way to stick it to half the country than by awarding Liz Cheney the Presidential Citizens Medal? Yes, the same Liz Cheney who threw her career—and any semblance of conservative principles—into the shredder to play co-chair of the Democrats’ January 6 theater troupe. Biden’s decision to honor Cheney with the nation’s second-highest civilian award tells you everything you need to know about the state of Washington: rewarding disloyalty to Republicans is the new currency of the swamp.
The White House claims Cheney is being recognized for “raising her voice and reaching across the aisle to defend our nation.” Translation? She turned her back on her constituents in Wyoming to join Nancy Pelosi’s kangaroo court and repackage every Democrat talking point as bipartisan gospel. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t sit well with Wyoming voters, who booted her out of office faster than Kamala Harris can cackle through an interview.
Let’s not forget, Cheney didn’t just lose her primary; she got obliterated by Trump-backed Harriet Hageman in a political drubbing that proved the Republican base isn’t interested in RINO relics pretending to be principled. And yet here she is, being feted by a lame-duck president who thinks “unity” means patting Never Trumpers on the back while demonizing everyone else.
Joining Cheney in receiving Biden’s medal is Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, her co-chair on the January 6 committee. Because nothing says “defending democracy” like a highly partisan committee that churned out an 845-page report accusing Trump of a “multi-part conspiracy” while conveniently ignoring the real questions about election integrity that millions of Americans still have.
Of course, the left is swooning. The White House press release practically fawns over Cheney, calling her a beacon of “freedom, dignity, and decency.” Meanwhile, conservatives see the obvious: this is Biden’s parting shot at Trump and his supporters. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, nailed it when he called the move “pathetic,” pointing out that with real crises unfolding at home and abroad, Biden’s priority is pandering to a woman who campaigned for Kamala Harris.
The real kicker? Some activists are pushing Biden to preemptively pardon Cheney, as though she’s some kind of martyr for democracy instead of a failed politician who chose the D.C. cocktail circuit over her voters. Trump put it best in a recent interview: “Cheney did something that’s inexcusable…Honestly, they should go to jail.”
Here’s the bottom line: Biden can hand out all the medals he wants to his political allies, but it won’t change the reality that Trump is returning to the White House on January 20. And when he does, the American people can count on real leadership that prioritizes their interests over partisan gamesmanship. Democrats may celebrate Cheney today, but her legacy will be as a cautionary tale for what happens when you betray your party and your voters.
