This week, former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney made headlines by joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in Ripon, Wisconsin — which is also the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Cheney joins hundreds of high-profile Republicans who have broken away from Trump to endorse the Harris-Walz ticket. Among these defectors is former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who recently declared "Donald Trump and JD Vance cannot be trusted with the Constitution, cannot be trusted to uphold our rule of law, and cannot be trusted to enact responsible policy." Hutchinson noted she was "proud as a conservative to have the opportunity to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in this election."
But with just over 30 days to go before the election, what are all the other anti-Trump Republicans waiting for? Utah Sen. Mitt Romney has voiced concerns that Trump would target him and his family if re-elected. Former President George W. Bush has been castigated and attacked by Trump at every turn. Former Trump chief of staff John Kelly said that Trump "has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law." And when an aide told Trump that his Vice President Mike Pence's life was in danger on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump reportedly replied: "So what?"
I am not saying it's easy to go against your own political party. Cheney knows that well, having been essentially excommunicated after a lifetime of loyal service. But as Harris put it during the Wisconsin event, "There are many who know it is wrong, and then there are those who have the courage to speak out loudly about it and the conviction to speak truth."
For Romney, Bush, Kelly and Pence, time is running out. If you don't speak up loudly now, you may lose your chance. And the history books will remember.
Read more exclusive insights from Jen Psaki here. And tune into "Inside with Jen Psaki" Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, and Sundays at 12 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
