Past presidents and politicians of each events will collect Thursday in Washington, DC, for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral — sending off a key determine of pre-MAGA Republican politics.
But neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance had been invited to Cheney’s funeral, in accordance to a supply conversant in the matter.
Cheney will obtain full navy honors on the memorial service, which is predicted to be a bipartisan who’s who of Washington dignitaries.
More than 1,000 visitors are anticipated on the invitation-only funeral Thursday morning at Washington’s National Cathedral — together with all four living former vice presidents and two former presidents.
Former presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden pays their respects, together with former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. There are additionally anticipated to be various Supreme Court Justices, together with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan. A lot of previous and current Cabinet members from each Republican and Democratic administrations can even attend, in addition to congressional leaders from either side of the aisle.
Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi is predicted to attend together with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former chief Mitch McConnell.
NCS has reached out to the White House for remark.
The funeral’s visitor listing itself is a nod to a time when Washington was not so polarized and politicians from either side of the aisle paid their respects when a dignitary handed away.
Cheney’s funeral can be held at 11 a.m. ET. Speakers will embody Bush, Cheney’s daughter former Rep. Liz Cheney and a few of his grandchildren.
Cheney, who served as Bush’s vice president from 2001 to 2009, died on November 3 on the age of 84. Prior to being elected vice president, Cheney served as protection secretary, White House chief of workers and as a congressman representing Wyoming.
He was thought-about probably the most highly effective and influential vice presidents in historical past, but his position because the architect of the Iraq War noticed him depart workplace deeply unpopular and cemented a polarizing legacy.
While official Washington funerals normally embody invitations to the White House, excluding Trump ought to not be a shock.
Cheney was a lifetime hardline conservative who endorsed Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign. But he spent the final years of his life talking out in opposition to Trump, notably after his daughter then-Rep. Liz Cheney drew the president’s ire for her distinguished position in a congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
In 2022, Cheney described Trump as a coward and mentioned nobody was a “greater threat to our republic.”
Trump has not publicly expressed his condolences or commented on Cheney’s loss of life.
The White House provided a muted response after Cheney’s loss of life with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters that Trump was “aware” the former vice president had died and noting that flags had been lowered to half-staff.
Honorary pallbearers at Cheney’s funeral will embody members of his Secret Service element; his former chiefs of workers, David Addington and Scooter Libby; and photographer David Hume Kennerly.
On one of many final pages of the service leaflet is a quote from the author and naturalist John Muir, saying: “The mountains are calling and I must go.”