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The funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney will take place on Thursday, November 20, at Washington's National Cathedral, but President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are reportedly not on the guest list. Cheney, who served under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, passed away on November 3 at the age of 84.
Over 1,000 dignitaries are expected to attend the invitation-only service, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden, as well as all four living former vice presidents: Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle. A range of congressional leaders from both parties, past and present Cabinet members, and Supreme Court justices—such as Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan—are also scheduled to be present. Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and former Senate leader Mitch McConnell will attend as well.
Cheney, who had a decisive role in shaping U.S. policy following the September 11 attacks, transformed the vice presidency into a powerful position, becoming a key architect of the Iraq War and America's broader war on terror. While he was a lifetime conservative and endorsed Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Cheney spent his later years speaking out against Trump, particularly after his daughter, then-Representative Liz Cheney, played a prominent role in the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. In 2022, Cheney called Trump a coward and stated that no one posed a "greater threat to our republic."
The funeral will include full military honors and feature speeches from George W. Bush, Liz Cheney, and some of Cheney's grandchildren. Honorary pallbearers will include members of his Secret Service detail, his former chiefs of staff David Addington and Scooter Libby, and photographer David Hume Kennerly. A quote from naturalist John Muir, "The mountains are calling and I must go," will appear on one of the final pages of the service leaflet.
Trump, who has had a tense relationship with the Cheney family, is scheduled to receive his intelligence briefing at 11 a.m., coinciding with the start of the funeral. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he was "aware" of Cheney's passing, noting that flags had been lowered to half-staff. Trump has not publicly commented on the death of the former vice president.
Cheney's family paid tribute to his life, stating that he "served our nation" in various roles, including White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Congressman from Wyoming, and Vice President. They described him as "a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing," expressing gratitude for his service and the impact he had on their lives and the nation.
