Much attention has been paid over the years to President Donald Trump’s attendance, or lack thereof, at the funerals of his enemies. Trump, famously, did not attend the funeral of Sen. John McCain, reportedly in accordance with McCain’s wishes, although Trump complained for years afterward that McCain’s family failed to thank him for his assistance with the logistics for the funeral.
Trump, despite his years of feuding with the Bush family, did indeed attend the memorial service for President George H.W. Bush after Bush died in late 2018, during Trump’s first presidency. But Trump will not be in attendance at the memorial for former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Defense Secretary in the presidency of the first Bush, and vice president in the second.
Per USA Today, the White House has confirmed that the president will not attend Cheney’s upcoming funeral, nor was he asked to speak there. The funeral, at the National Cathedral in Washington, is set for Thursday.
The White House official told the newspaper that they are “not aware of anyone else on his staff going to the invitation-only service.”
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Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joseph Biden are scheduled to attend the service, with Bush eulogizing his former vice president. Bill Clinton will not attend due to an “unavoidable scheduling conflict,” while it’s not clear if former President Barack Obama will be attending.
J.D. Vance, the current vice president, is not there, although his predecessor Mike Pence is.
At the National Cathedral covering Dick Cheney’s funeral. President Trump was not invited and it doesn’t seem like any current administration officials will attend pic.twitter.com/jvKjRE9F1p
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) November 20, 2025
Trump, ever since his rise in politics, has positioned himself in opposition to the previous Republican Party, in the form of the Bush-Cheney Administration, as well as previous presidential candidates like McCain and Mitt Romney.
Cheney’s daughter Liz, then a member of Congress and part of the House Republican leadership, broke sharply with Trump after January 6, which ultimately cost her seat in Congress. In 2024, she endorsed Kamala Harris and appeared on the campaign trail with her, while Dick Cheney, who was not in good enough health to appear on the trail, endorsed Biden as well.
Program for Dick Cheney’s funeral. Scooter Libby will serve as a pallbearer pic.twitter.com/2uGdCaTfG6
— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) November 20, 2025
Trump did, however, pardon Scooter Libby, Cheney’s former chief of staff, who was convicted of perjury in 2007. Libby, who had previously been granted clemency by Bush, is serving as a pallbearer at the funeral, according to the official program.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
