Former Rep. Liz Cheney has publicly confronted President-elect Donald Trump after he criticized her and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) for receiving the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Biden.

In a post on the platform X, Cheney rebuffed Trump's claims that they were awarded "fake medals" and, in a pointed message, stated, "Donald, this is not the Soviet Union. You can’t change the truth and you cannot silence us" (The Hill).

The medals were awarded in recognition of their efforts on the January 6 Select Committee, which investigated the Capitol attack. During the citation, Biden praised Cheney for her integrity and dedication to safeguarding the Constitution, asserting, "Throughout two decades in public service... Liz Cheney has raised her voice—and reached across the aisle—to defend our nation" (Newsweek).

In response to Trump's attempted delegitimization of the award, Cheney highlighted Trump's persistent falsehoods regarding the 2020 election, stating, "Remember all your lies about the voting machines, the election workers, your countless allegations of fraud that never happened?" She further illustrated the consequences of Trump's actions, referring to sanctions against his lawyers and testimony from former associates against him.

Cheney, who has emerged as a central figure in the opposition to Trump within the Republican Party, also drew attention to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to assist Trump in overturning the election results, stressing, "We remember" (India Times).

As Trump prepares for his second term starting January 20, Cheney has urged the public to reject his "malicious falsehoods" to protect the integrity of the American democracy. "The American people need to reject your latest malicious falsehoods and stand as the guardrails of our Constitutional Republic," she concluded, underscoring the significance of truth and accountability in American politics.