An eye-popping number of President Donald Trump’s biggest enemies gathered at the funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney—himself an anti-MAGA Republican.
Attendees included a slew of Democratic politicians, like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, as well as anti-Trump network hosts Rachel Maddow and John Bolton, and GOP never-Trumpers like Adam Kinzinger and Sen. Bill Cassidy.
They all convened in Washington, where there was no sign of the president. Trump, 79, was not invited to the service by the late VP’s daughter, Liz Cheney, making him the odd man out among top White House officials of the 21st century.
Also absent were Barack and Michelle Obama. However, the former first couple were not snubbed of an invite; they just opted not to show. Michelle, 61, also skipped the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter earlier this year.
Below is a look at Trump’s nightmare of a guest list at the Washington National Cathedral.
Mark Milley
There are few people Trump hates more than Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley, 67, has called Trump a “fascist” and says Trump does not possess the mental capacity to be president. Trump has fired back by accusing Milley of treason and saying he is deserving of the death penalty. Biden issued Milley a preemptive pardon before leaving office to protect him from Trump retribution.
Nancy Pelosi
Trump has called the soon-to-retire Pelosi, 85, nearly every insult in the book. He has compared her to a dog in political rallies and has called her “an evil woman,” “wicked,” and “disgusting.” He has also referred to her as “Low IQ,” “Crazy Nancy,” and branded her a “crazed lunatic.” Pelosi and Cheney did not have much in common politically, but they both strongly opposed Trump’s latest presidential campaign.
John Bolton
John Bolton, 77, did not enjoy the benefit of a pre-emptive pardon like Milley, and he now faces charges accusing him of mishandling classified information—an indictment widely viewed as being political retribution. Bolton, once Trump’s national security adviser, is among the president’s fiercest critics on network news, where he is a CNN pundit. Trump has called Bolton a “bad guy,” “lowlife dummy,” “loser,” and a “sleaze bag.” Bolton has fired back himself, asserting that Trump is “unfit to be president,” is “stunningly uninformed,” “erratic,” and is a “useful idiot” manipulated by dictators.
Mike Pence
Mike Pence, 66, was among the few who stuck with the turnover-plagued first Trump administration through January 2021. However, he famously refused to abandon his constitutional duties during the Capitol attack, and in doing so, Trump turned on him in a heartbeat—going as far as supporting chants from the angry mob that called for the then-vice president to be hanged. He was joined at Thursday’s funeral by other past VPs, including Kamala Harris, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle.
Rachel Maddow and Anthony Fauci
Among the more eye-popping guests at Thursday’s funeral were Dr. Anthony Fauci and MS NOW host Rachel Maddow, who sat together. Maddow, 52, is among Trump’s fiercest critics on air, while Fauci has been subjected to a slew of right-wing conspiracies tied to COVID-19. Trump and Fauci clashed in the latter months of MAGA 1.0, and their animosity toward each other spilled into this term, with Trump pulling Fauci’s security detail despite him still receiving regular threats.
Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83, attended Thursday’s service with his wife, Elaine Chao, 72, who herself has been subjected to nasty attacks by Trump. In addition to repeated policy disagreements with McConnell, especially on the severity of the Jan. 6 riots, Trump used racial animus to attack his Taiwan-born wife. Trump has called her “Coco Chow” and described her as “China-loving.” Chao resigned as Trump’s transportation secretary after he defended the Jan. 6 attack.
Trump’s least-favorite pundits
Maddow was not the only anti-Trump talking head at Thursday’s service. CNN’s John King, 62, who Trump called “underachieving,” also attended, as well as the network’s frequent contributor, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist who was one of the most high-profile medical critics of Trump during COVID-19.
Chris Wallace, 78, who previously worked at CNN and Fox News, also attended the funeral. Trump famously said of the pundit: “I like Mike Wallace better,” referring to the late Mike Wallace, the original 60 Minutes correspondent and the father of Chris.
Anti-Trump Republicans
It is perhaps not surprising that Thursday’s service, for an anti-Trump Republican, was attended by scores of GOP members who openly oppose the president. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, whom Trump unsuccessfully tried to primary in 2022 after she voted to convict him during his impeachment trial, was joined by Sen. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, who also voted to remove Trump from office.
Also present were the former GOP Reps Adam Kinzinger and John Boehner—a pair of staunch Trump critics the president has labeled as “RINOs,” or Republicans In Name Only. Karl Rove, a former Bush administration official who Trump called a “total loser” in May, also attended.
Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney, the late VP’s daughter, is arguably the most anti-Trump of the Republican names above. Her disdain for Trump, shared by her father, was reflected among those who traveled to the National Cathedral to say their final goodbyes to him.
John Brennan
John Brennan, Obama’s CIA director, is among Trump’s longest-running political foes, going back to his probe of the Trump campaign in 2016. Brennan has had his security clearance revoked, which prompted him to call Trump “very sensitive and insecure.” Trump has not let his past grudges pass. Instead, he has repeatedly accused Brennan of treason and has encouraged his administration to probe him.
Plenty of Dems
There was no shortage of Democrats at Thursday’s service, including some who are particularly good at getting under Trump’s skin. Joe Biden attended with the former first lady, Jill Biden. Kamala Harris attended without her spouse, as did Rep. Jamie Raskin, who has recently parodied Trump’s all-caps rants. Also in attendance was Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is actively suing the president, and Sen. Adam Schiff, who Trump has called “pencil neck,” “watermelon head,” and, most famously, “Shifty Schiff.”
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