When former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral took place at Washington’s National Cathedral, there were a lot of big names in the pews, but Barack Obama and Bill Clinton weren’t among them. Sources close to the event say both former presidents were invited, but they ultimately decided not to attend, per AP News.
It’s not clear what exactly drove their decision. For Obama, some reports note that he and Michelle have skipped other funerals this year. This could be part of a broader pattern, maybe. However, Michelle hinted why she had not attended Jimmy Carter’s funeral or even the inauguration of President Donald Trump this year.
The Obamas and Clintons are absent from Dick Cheney’s funeral. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/YRFldmmxqs
— Cielo 🇺🇸🇵🇷 (@CieloBonit) November 20, 2025
On an episode of her IMO podcast she said, via People, “It took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the things that was right for me, that was a hard thing for me to do.” And sometimes that meant that she needed to practice the “art of saying no.”
As for Barack, he did reach out to the family after the death of their patriarch and wrote on Facebook.
“Although Dick Cheney and I represented very different political traditions, I respected his life-long devotion to public service and his deep love of country. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
Barack Obama just walked onto a plane full of veterans and thanked every single one of them: no stage, no teleprompter, no ego trip.
That’s a real President. pic.twitter.com/cDR0ddn5Ue
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) November 11, 2025
As far as Clinton is concerned, people are just calling it a “scheduling conflict,” but there’s no detailed explanation. AP News
Still, their absence is notable — funerals like Cheney’s are often political rituals and moments of cross-party respect. Cheney was deeply influential, especially in conservative politics, and seeing major figures from both sides would have sent a strong message of unity at a time when the country is very divided. Especially because Cheney himself was a divisive figure.
Trump was also not a fan of the Cheneys. He criticized Dick and his daughter Liz Cheney, and so it didn’t come as a surprise that he didn’t issue a presidential proclamation after Cheney’s death.
🚨NEW: Liz Cheney did not invite Donald Trump to the funeral of her father, Vice President Dick Cheney.
RETWEET if you stand with @Liz_Cheney against Donald Trump! pic.twitter.com/m6Y9yFhlUJ
— Protect Kamala Harris ✊ (@DisavowTrump20) November 20, 2025
However, on the day of Cheney’s funeral, Vance shared some thought about the old-school Republican. While attending the Breitbart event, he said, according to The Guardian, “Obviously there are 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.”
There’s also the fact that funerals are deeply personal. Not every invite means a public appearance. For some, it’s less about paying political respects and more about managing energy, public exposure, or family obligations. With Obama and Clinton both out of the day-to-day political spotlight, this might just be a “no, thanks” and not meant to be a protest or snub.
At the same time, other leaders did attend including former President George W. Bush and former President Joe Biden, was there, along with several vice presidents and a mix of political figures. Bush’s speech was in particular very touching when he recalled that “they do not come any better than Dick Cheney.” That made it a moment of institutional memory, even without Obama and Clinton.
