Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Cheney Funeral Becomes Flashpoint Over Civility and the Washington Establishment

Guest list choices, including the exclusion of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, are being read as pointed signals in today’s GOP.

Overview

  • The Nov. 20 service at Washington National Cathedral drew a cross-party roster, with Joe Biden, George W. Bush, and former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle in attendance.
  • President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance were not invited, while Pence attended and was described as the closest senior Trump-era figure present.
  • Commentary since the funeral frames it either as a dignified reminder of civic ritual or as a display of an insular political class.
  • Notable attendees from media and public health, including Rachel Maddow, Anthony Fauci, and James Carville, underscored the event’s unusual cross-spectrum tableau.
  • Analyses revisited Cheney’s outsized and disputed legacy—his post‑9/11 policies, his redefinition of the vice presidency, and his later break with Trump, including his endorsement of Kamala Harris in 2024.