Trump swings at Republican leader Liz Cheney over her criticisms of his administration

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump waded into an intensifying battle within the GOP Thursday by swiping at Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and retweeting a post that called on her to step down from her leadership post in the House "or be removed."

Cheney, the chair of the House Republican Conference and the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, has faced attacks from some of the president's staunchest Republican allies after she publicly pushed back on Trump's reluctance to wear a mask and questioned his foreign policy.

"Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars," Trump posted Tuesday. "I am also making our so-called allies pay tens of billions of dollars in delinquent military costs. They must, at least, treat us fairly!!!"

Trump went on to tweet a post from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who was retweeting a message from Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz, who said Cheney should be removed from her post. Gaetz, a Florida Republican, has been an outspoken critic of Cheney.

Cheney told Politico later Thursday, "It's no secret the president and I disagree on some foreign policy issues," but she was obligated as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to "provide for the defense of the nation."

She would not back down on speaking out on foreign policy, she added.

Trump lashed out at Cheney as he faces rising tensions with Republicans on Capitol Hill. The GOP-led Senate is moving ahead with legislation to require the Pentagon to rename military bases honoring Confederate figures, despite his objections. Senate Republicans are also resisting his calls for a payroll tax cut in the next round of coronavirus stimulus.

The president, meanwhile, continues to lose ground in battleground polling against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

After Trump refused to wear a face mask in public, Cheney tweeted a photo of her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, in a mask with the hashtag #realmenwearmasks. As senior White House officials criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Cheney posted a message calling him "one of the finest public servants we have ever had."

Cheney had supported and donated to Todd McMurtry, a primary challenger against incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., after Massie had forced members of Congress to return to Washington for a vote on the coronavirus stimulus package. Cheney later demanded the donations be returned after racist tweets from McMurtry resurfaced.

As Trump heads toward an election showdown with Biden cracks are deepening within the party as a host of Republican lawmakers distance themselves from the White House. Republicans have increasingly split with Trump on racism and the removal of Confederate statues, the wearing a face masks and questions over intelligence reports of a Russia-backed bounty program on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Contributing: Courtney Subramanian

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump weighs into GOP debate over Liz Cheney, retweets calls for her removal