Matt Gaetz calls Don Jr to mock Liz Cheney over father’s ‘hunting skills’ in GOP ‘civil war’ rally

Florida representative was speaking at rally in Wyoming

Florida representative Matt Gaetz called Donald Trump Jr to mock Liz Cheney for her father’s “shooting skills” during a rally in Wyoming calling for her removal from the position as the House Republican conference chair.

Hundreds of people gathered outside of the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne on Thursday, to listen to Mr Gaetz, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, repeatedly criticise Ms Cheney, the third ranking Republican in the House.

Mr Gaetz has led the charge to have Ms Cheney removed from her leadership post as the conference chair, after she voted to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the Capitol riots on 6 January.

During the rally, the Florida representative called Mr Trump Jr and held his phone up to the microphone to discuss Ms Cheney’s position in the GOP and her decision to vote to impeach Mr Trump, according to The Hill.

At one point, Mr Trump Jr took aim at Ms Cheney’s father, former vice president Dick Cheney, saying: “It seems like Liz Cheney's favorables are only slightly worse than her father's shooting skills.”

Mr Trump Jr was seemingly referring to a non-fatal incident in 2006, when Mr Cheney accidentally shot a man while quail hunting.

House Republicans are expected to decide next week whether to strip Ms Cheney of her position as conference chair, while state senator Anthony Bouchard, a gun-rights activist, announced his primary challenge for her seat last week.

Calling for Ms Cheney to lose her position in Wyoming, Mr Gaetz said: “Washington, DC, mythologises the establishment powerbrokers like Liz Cheney for climbing in a deeply corrupt game. But there are more of us than there are of them.”

He added: “You can send a representative who actually represents you, and you can send Liz Cheney home - back home to Washington, DC.”

The Florida representative then claimed that he was at the rally to fight for the country, saying: “Our battle is no longer just Republican vs Democrat, it's not just red team versus blue team. Absolutely not — we've got to put America first.

“Those are the old battles of yesteryear. But people have always come to the great frontiers of Wyoming to win the future — that's why I'm here.”

Mr Gaetz added: “We are in a battle for the soul of the Republican party, and I intend to win it.”

Despite facing criticism from several pro-Trump Republicans for her decision to vote to impeach Mr Trump, Ms Cheney has seen support from representatives in Wyoming.

Senator John Barrasso has defended Ms Cheney, while former state representative Amy Edmonds claimed: “Wyoming doesn’t like it when outsiders come into our state and try to tell us what to do.”

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy also called on Republican representatives to stop fighting with each other, as the party begins to plan how to get back in power in 2024.