Trump and Vance not invited to Dick Cheney funeral as bipartisan leaders gather

Dick Cheney died Nov. 3, 2025, at age 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac/vascular disease. His wife Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and family were with him. Cheney survived five heart attacks starting in the late 1970s and received a heart transplant in 2012. He served as the 46th vice president under George W. Bush from 2001-2009, overseeing the Iraq War and post-9/11 security policies.

Cheney's funeral took place Nov. 20, 2025, at 🌲Washington National Cathedral with over 1,000 guests. President Trump and Vice President JVJD Vance weren't invited—breaking tradition where sitting presidents attend funerals for past vice presidents. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden attended, along with all four living former vice presidents: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle.

Trump stayed silent about Cheney's death. He posted no tribute on Truth Social or other platforms. The White House issued only a perfunctory statement via press secretary Karoline Leavitt: the president was aware and flags had been lowered to half-staff in accordance with statutory law. Federal law requires flags at half-staff from a vice president's death until interment, making this gesture legally mandated, not voluntary.

George W. Bush delivered a eulogy recalling how he tapped Cheney to lead his 2000 VP search, then realized the best choice was sitting right in front of me. Bush said Cheney offered to step aside during the 2004 reelection campaign, but Bush refused: they do not come any better than Dick Cheney. Liz Cheney shared her father's final words: As my dad left this earth, his last words were to tell my mother he loved her.

The funeral drew Supreme Court Justices (Chief Justice John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan), congressional leaders from both parties (Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Mitch McConnell), and neoconservative figures like Bill Kristol, Hugh Hewitt, and John Bolton. Pete Williams, Cheney's former Pentagon spokesman, recalled Cheney refusing his resignation attempt in 1991 when Williams feared being outed as gay, instead calling daily to check on him.

The Trump-Cheney rift stems from Liz Cheney co-chairing the House Jan. 6 committee investigating Trump's role in the 2021 Capitol attack. Both Dick and Liz endorsed Democratic VP Kamala Harris in the 2024 campaign. Dick Cheney called Trump the greatest threat to our republic in 2022—an unprecedented public break between a former Republican vice president and the party's presidential nominee.