Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, George Bush attend Dick Cheney’s funeral, Donald Trump and JD Vance not invited

“He lifted the standards of those around him just by being who he was,” Bush said. He said Cheney was an “old breed of public servant, defined by their substance and character.”

Biden praised Cheney for his commitment to his family and to his values.“Solid and rare and reliable,” Biden said.

Former Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Al Gore, along with Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, were also present at the funeral of Cheney, the consequential and polarising US Vice President.

Why Trump and Vance were not invited

Notably missing among the attendees were US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Cheney and Trump had a very public fallout and in September 2024, he had announced that he would vote for Kamala Harris and not the Republican presidential candidate.

Cheney was one of Trump’s most vocal Republican critics, calling him “a coward” and “the greatest threat to our republic”.

After Biden won the 2020 election, Dick Cheney’s daughter Liz Cheney served as vice chair of the Democratic-led special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. She accused Trump of summoning the violent mob and plunging the nation into “a moment of maximum danger.

”For that, she was stripped of her Republican leadership position and ultimately defeated in a 2022 Republican primary in Wyoming. In a campaign TV ad made for his daughter, Dick Cheney branded Trump a “coward” who “tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him.”

The White House lowered its flags to half-staff after Cheney’s death, as it said the law calls for, but Trump did not issue the presidential proclamation that often accompanies the death of notable figures, nor has he commented publicly on his passing.

Vance offers condolences

While Trump has been publicly silent about Cheney’s death, Vance, who was also not invited to the funeral service, offered condolences to the family, praising his predecessor’s public service while acknowledging his “disagreements” with Trump.

“My condolences go to Dick Cheney and his family,” Vance said during an appearance at a Breitbart News event. “Obviously there were some political disagreements there, but he was a guy who served his country. We certainly wish his family all the best in this moment of grieving.”