President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not invited to the funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney, breaking with tradition as several former presidents and vice presidents gathered to honor the Republican stalwart who died November 3, 2025, at 84 years old.
The funeral service was held Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, beginning at 11 a.m. The 46th Vice President died from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to his family.
While sitting presidents usually attend funerals for former vice presidents, Trump’s exclusion highlighted the dramatic rupture between the Cheney family and the current administration. The snub came as little surprise, given Trump’s bitter relationship with Cheney’s daughter, former Representative Liz Cheney, who led the January 6 investigation into the Capitol riot.
Former President George W. Bush delivered the eulogy at the service, paying tribute to his former vice president with praise. Bush told mourners that Cheney “was everything a president should expect in a second-in-command,” celebrating the partnership that defined their years in office together.
The front pews were filled with a bipartisan gathering of political luminaries. Former President Joe Biden attended the service, as did former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts also paid their respects to the longtime Republican leader.
Two former presidents were notably absent from the ceremony. Barack Obama did not attend the funeral, while Bill Clinton had an unavoidable scheduling conflict, according to a spokesperson.
Liz Cheney spoke at her father’s funeral, where she addressed the values he instilled in his family. During her remarks, she reflected on lessons about public service and devotion to the American republic. “He knew the bonds of party must always yield to the single bond we share as Americans,” she said, alluding to her father’s influence on her decision to hold Trump accountable for the January 6 insurrection.
The exclusion of Trump and Vance from the funeral underscored how dramatically the Cheney family’s relationship with the Republican Party has shifted. Both Dick and Liz Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, a remarkable break from party loyalty that would have been unthinkable during Cheney’s tenure as vice president.
Vance sent condolences to the Cheney family despite not being invited. The vice president acknowledged political disagreements but recognized Cheney’s decades of public service to the nation.
Cheney’s career in Washington spanned multiple Republican administrations. He served as a congressional representative and later as defense secretary before being selected as vice president. When George W. Bush chose him as his running mate, Cheney brought extensive government experience to the administration.
As vice president, Cheney wielded significant influence over national security policy. He helped direct the U.S. response to terrorism, championed expanded surveillance powers, and became a leading advocate for military action. His hawkish foreign policy positions and support for enhanced interrogation techniques made him one of the most polarizing vice presidents in modern American history.
Cheney was married to Lynne Cheney for 61 years. The couple raised a family together, including Liz, who represented her state in Congress before losing her primary after Trump endorsed her challenger.
The funeral at the National Cathedral brought together figures from Cheney’s political era, a gathering of old-school Republicans who held power before Trump reshaped the party’s identity and priorities. The service provided a moment of bipartisan unity as former rivals set aside differences to honor a figure who dedicated his life to public service.
Bush’s eulogy avoided mentioning any power struggles with his vice president, instead focusing on Cheney’s loyalty and judgment. The former president recalled how Cheney had been helping him select a running mate when Bush realized the best choice was sitting before him. Before accepting, Cheney insisted on outlining reasons why Bush should not pick him, demonstrating the analytical detachment that characterized his approach to governance.
The ceremony represented a farewell not just to Cheney himself, but to an era of Republican politics that emphasized foreign policy expertise, defense hawkishness, and traditional party structures. The absence of Trump and Vance from the mourners reflected how completely that era has been eclipsed by a new Republican movement centered on Trump’s populist appeal and America First policies.
The National Cathedral service concluded a period of mourning following Cheney’s death. His death marked the end of a consequential political career that shaped American foreign policy and expanded executive power in ways that continue to generate debate among scholars and policymakers.