Barack and Michelle Obama were noticeably missing at former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral.
The Obamas who have been known to attend funerals for political figures on both side of the aisles were not present for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral.
Former President Bill Clinton was also absent from the funeral.
People reported the following details on the Obama’s absence:
Barack and Michelle Obama are not expected to attend Dick Cheney’s funeral on Thursday, Nov. 20, a source familiar tells PEOPLE.
Cheney — the powerful vice president to former Republican President George W. Bush — died on Nov. 3 at age 84. While it’s common for first couples to attend the funeral of a vice president, expectations are not entirely defined, and the Obamas are not the only high-profile figures who will forgo the Thursday morning service.
Notably, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were reportedly not invited to Cheney’s funeral — a detail that Axios first reported on Nov. 19. Their absence as the sitting leaders of the country is a more staunch departure from tradition, but not entirely surprising given that Cheney broke party ranks to endorse the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024.
Former President Bill Clinton is also not expected to attend due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, according to multiple reports.
The reason for the Obamas’ absence remains unclear, though they similarly missed Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale’s funeral in 2022.
Bush is slated to speak at the funeral, PEOPLE confirmed, while former president Joe Biden and former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle are all expected to be in attendance, according to multiple reports.
Several other political power brokers — including longtime Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican Senate leaders John Thune and Mitch McConnell, and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts — will also attend, according to CNN.
The Obamas and Clintons are absent from Dick Cheney's funeral. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/YRFldmmxqs
— Cielo 🇺🇸🇵🇷 (@CieloBonit) November 20, 2025
Michelle Obama was also noticeable missing at Trump’s inauguration even though her husband attended, per USA Today:
Michelle Obama is done going high for other people.
ADVERTISEMENTThe former first lady spoke for the first time about skipping President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on the April 23 episode of her “IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” podcast, which she co-hosts with her brother.
During a conversation with the former collegiate basketball coach and Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, the “Becoming” author again addressed viral rumors she was divorcing former President Barack Obama by skipping the inaugural ceremony.
“My decision to skip the inauguration — or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me — were met with such ridicule and criticism,” Obama explained during the episode. “People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason. They had to assume that my marriage was falling apart.”
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