Former President George W. Bush will hold a fundraiser next month for Rep. Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican whom former President Donald Trump has been urging Republicans to defeat in a primary next year.
Bush is scheduled to host the event for Cheney — the daughter of his former vice president, Dick Cheney — in Dallas on Oct. 18, and other members of his administration are expected to attend, including former advisers Karl Rove and Karen Hughes.
The event was first reported by Politico, and a source familiar with the plans confirmed them to NBC News.
The news comes less than two weeks after Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman in the Republican primary, saying she's running for "America first" and "against warmonger and disloyal Republican, Liz Cheney."
Cheney responded to the endorsement by tweeting, "Bring it."
While Cheney at times clashed with Trump when he was president, their relationship turned especially ugly after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a bid to prevent Joe Biden from being certified president. Cheney — who'd pushed back against Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was "rigged" and "stolen" — blamed him for the violence and voted to impeach him.
Trump has railed against Cheney at rallies, in interviews and in public statements since, and urged Republicans to run in a primary against her. He also pushed for her to be removed from her position as the No. 3 House Republican, which she was in May.
Trump also raged against Bush after his Republican predecessor warned about the dangers of domestic violent extremism during a speech commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"He shouldn’t be lecturing us about anything. The World Trade Center came down during his watch. Bush led a failed and uninspiring presidency," Trump said in a statement last week.
Cheney, meanwhile, thanked Bush for his remarks. "This was a moving and important speech by a good and honorable man," she tweeted.
