JD Vance Finally Addresses Dick Cheney’s Death While Trump Remains Silent, as Both Are Excluded from Funeral

President Donald Trump has not publicly commented on the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney, but Vice President JD Vance addressed it on the day of Cheney’s funeral.

Speaking at a Breitbart event on Nov. 20 — as he and Trump were reportedly not invited to the service — Vance offered condolences while acknowledging political differences. “Obviously, there are some political disagreements there, but he was a guy who served his country,” Vance said. “We certainly wish his family all the best in this moment of grieving.”

Cheney, who served as the 46th vice president under former President George W. Bush, died at age 84 on Monday, Nov. 3. Nearly three weeks later, Trump has yet to issue a public statement.

On Nov. 4, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president was aware of Cheney’s passing, per ABC News. “I know the president is aware of the former vice president’s passing,” she said at the time, adding that flags had been lowered to half-staff in accordance with federal law.

The Cheney family announced his death in a statement on Nov. 4, saying he died on Nov. 3 with his wife, Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and other relatives at his side. The statement said his death followed complications of pneumonia along with cardiac and vascular disease. The family described Cheney as a devoted husband and father who loved his country and taught his children and grandchildren to live with courage, honor, kindness, and a passion for fly fishing.

Trump’s relationship with the Cheney family had been strained for years, particularly after Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, joined the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Liz Cheney, once the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress, was removed from leadership in May 2021 after signaling she would vote to impeach Trump over the riot, and she lost her House seat the following year.

Dick Cheney stood by his daughter through the backlash. He and Liz Cheney were the only two Republicans to attend a moment of silence honoring the Capitol Police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riots on the first anniversary of the attack in 2022. Later that year, he endorsed her reelection campaign and criticized Trump in a video, calling him a “coward” and warning that he posed a serious threat to the republic. In the same clip, Cheney praised Liz as “fearless” for defending the Constitution when others in the party would not.

In December 2023, Liz Cheney said her father’s unwavering support had been a source of strength for her, and noted that he worried about her security. She also recalled speaking with him on the day of the Capitol riot, saying he called to warn her after Trump remarked that the country needed to “get rid of the Liz Cheneys of the world.” She said they discussed whether she should still give her planned House floor speech opposing objections to the electoral vote count, and decided she had to proceed despite the threat of violence.

Shortly before leaving office, former President Joe Biden preemptively pardoned Liz Cheney and other political figures who had drawn Trump’s ire, citing concerns about potential retaliation following Trump’s inauguration.