The Real Reason Obama Isn’t Attending Dick Cheney’s Funeral Amid His ‘Really Bad’ Relationship With Attendee Biden
Funerals always seem like a place for peace. Everyone’s coming into them on their best behavior and even feuds are parked at the entrance for a while. At least, that’s the way it’s usually been. Former US VP Dick Cheney’s funeral isn’t exactly following the same rules, however. Reports indicate President Donald Trump wasn’t even invited, and there are reports other big figures aren’t going either.
Barack and Michelle Obama aren’t expected to attend the funeral, People reported. Cheney, who was vice president to former Republican President George W. Bush, died on Nov. 3 at age 84. First couples typically attend the funeral of a vice president, but there is no real expectation for them to do so.
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The fact that Trump was not invited was reported by Axios. Vice President JD Vance was reportedly not invited either. Neither of those two things is exactly surprising, considering Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. But former President Clinton is also not expected to attend, so the Obamas are certainly not the only ones choosing not to attend. No reason has been given for the Obamas’ absence, though they also skipped Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale’s funeral in 2022.
Former President Bush will speak at the funeral, which will be attended by former President Joe Biden and former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle. Other big names expected to attend include Nancy Pelosi, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, according to CNN.
After Cheney passed away, Barack Obama wrote a message on Facebook that read, “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,” he said. “Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
This comes amid reports that Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s relationship is in a “really bad” place since the 2024 presidential election, according to ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl. On an interview on Katie Couric’s “Next Question With Katie Couric” podcast in November 2025, Karl reported that Obama and Biden were recently seen at the restaurant Cafe Milano in Washington D.C. in October 2025, but sat at separate tables and did not acknowledge each other.
“They didn’t interact at all, they were in the same restaurant? What’s their relationship like?” Couric asked Karl, who responded, “Really bad. Really bad. Biden and the people around him very much blame Barack Obama for the effort to push Biden out of the campaign.” He added, “It’s not a good relationship. If they had wanted to see each other, they absolutely would have.”
Obama and Biden were the president and vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017, and at the time, were reportedly very good friends. Biden then became president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. He then stepped down as the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 presidential election following concerns over his age and health. He was replaced by Kamala Harris, who went on to lose the election to the current president, Donald Trump.
