A Political Snub at a Statesman's Farewell
The funeral of former US Vice President Dick Cheney, scheduled for Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral, will commence with a notable political absence. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are set to skip the memorial service for the late Republican figure.
Trump's public schedule for the day makes no mention of attendance, while Vance will be occupied at a separate event in Washington earlier that morning. Spokespeople for both leaders did not respond to requests for comment regarding their absence.
Cheney passed away on November 3 at the age of 84, with complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease cited as the cause of death.
A Fractured Legacy and Cross-Party Endorsement
In a move that would have been unthinkable during the peak of his political influence in the early 2000s, Cheney took the extraordinary step last year of endorsing a Democrat for president. He threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, following the lead of his daughter, former GOP Representative Liz Cheney.
Liz Cheney's political career was effectively ended by Trump after she led the investigation into the January 6 Capitol attack. She subsequently endorsed Harris and campaigned actively for her, aiming to draw non-MAGA Republicans and independents to the Democratic candidate.
When announcing his endorsement in September 2024, Dick Cheney issued a stark warning, stating, 'there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.' He accused Trump of attempting to 'steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him.'
Biden Attends as Trump Stays Away
In contrast to the current administration's absence, former President Joe Biden, the nation's oldest living president, plans to attend the service. The funeral coincides with Biden's 83rd birthday. A spokesperson for the Bidens confirmed their attendance to the Daily Mail.
The attendance of Vice President Kamala Harris remains uncertain. Her spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, though Harris did post on X that she was 'saddened' by Cheney's death, describing him as a 'devoted public servant.'
Former President George W. Bush will deliver a eulogy for his former vice president, alongside Liz Cheney, Cheney's physician Dr. Jonathan Reiner, and former staffer Pete Williams, now an NBC News correspondent.
A Complex Political History
The White House has been unusually quiet regarding Cheney's funeral. Trump never issued an official statement, nor did he comment on Truth Social. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt only acknowledged that the White House was complying with the law by flying flags at half-staff.
Trump has been critical of the Bush-Cheney administration for years, frequently blaming them for involving the US in 'forever wars' in Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite this, Cheney did attend Trump's inauguration in 2017.
However, like his daughter, Cheney was deeply affected by the January 6 Capitol attack. He made a powerful statement by attending an event in the Capitol Building to mark the attack's one-year anniversary on January 6, 2022.
Cheney, who was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, became a prominent political figure from Wyoming. His extensive career included serving as Republican President Gerald Ford's chief of staff, representing Wyoming in Congress, and acting as President George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense.
He earned the nickname 'Darth Vader' for his hawkish foreign policy stance, which included pushing for military involvement in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent invasion of Iraq. Cheney also supported controversial 'enhanced interrogation' techniques that critics equated with torture.
Despite his conservative record, his endorsement of Kamala Harris in the final year of his life significantly improved his standing among Democrats, marking a remarkable late-career political transformation.
