For months after the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump and his enablers repeatedly lied that victory was "stolen" from him by Democrats committing widespread election fraud.
Trump continued to broadcast these lies at every turn, even after his lawsuits were dismissed and recounts in swing state districts further reiterated his loss.
After this tidal wave of disinformation culminated in a mob of pro-Trump extremists storming the United States Capitol in a deadly failed insurrection, Trump finally acknowledged that his time in the White House would end on January 20. He stopped short of noting that the election was legitimate and that he lost.
Trump's election delusions have come to be known as "the big lie," a term coined by Hitler to describe so blatant and shameless that it's often believed, because no one "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously." Media outlets like the New York Times, along with the House impeachment managers during Trump's second impeachment trial, helped cement the use of "The Big Lie" to sum up Trump's election conspiracy.
But in a recent statement, Trump absurdly claimed that Biden's election victory was the real "big lie," writing:
"The Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!"
The ridiculous statement was predictably dismissed by prominent Democrats, but even some Republicans pushed back against the harmful fantasy.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY), who condemned Trump in no uncertain terms following the insurrection and was one of only 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of his second impeachment, refuted the former President's claim on Twitter.
Cheney's tweet comes just days after she shot down criticisms for fist-bumping Biden ahead of his recent address to a joint session of Congress, and months after she faced opposition from her Republican colleagues and the Wyoming GOP for putting the responsibility of the riots on Trump.
Despite Cheney's continued Republican agenda, people appreciated her willingness to push back on Trump's lies.
As usual, she saw backlash from Trump's Republican supporters.
A recent poll found that over half of Republicans falsely believe the election was stolen.
