A leading Republican says: “There has never been a person who posed a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”

Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, a lifelong Republican, has announced that he will vote for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election.

“In the 248-year history of our nation, there has never been a person who posed a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney said of the Republican candidate and former US president.

Cheney, who served as vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, reiterated his support for Harris in a statement Friday and said Trump could “never be trusted with power again.”

“He (Trump) tried to steal the last election with lies and violence to stay in power after voters rejected him,” Cheney said.

“As citizens, we all have a duty to put country above party politics to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris,” he added.

His daughter Liz Cheney, a former Republican congressman from Wyoming, endorsed Harris on Wednesday.

Liz Cheney became a fierce critic of Trump after thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to overturn his election defeat. She co-chaired a congressional investigation into the attack.

Trump responded on Friday on his Truth Social platform by calling the Cheneys an “irrelevant RINO,” using a term he uses for Republicans who are not loyal to him: “Republicans in name only.”

Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’ campaign manager, said: “The Vice President is proud to support Vice President Cheney and has deep respect for his courage to put country before party.”

Several other leading Republicans have spoken out in favor of Harris, while others, including Senator Mitt Romney and former Vice President Mike Pence, have said they would not vote for Trump.