By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House lowered flags to half-staff on Tuesday following the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney, while President Donald Trump and his administration remained silent about the Republican politician’s passing.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the White House had not issued a statement marking Cheney’s death, nor had Trump weighed in on social media.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered only a brief acknowledgement of Cheney’s death at age 84 on Monday when prompted by a reporter during a press briefing.
“I know the president is aware of the former vice president’s passing. And as you saw, flags have been lowered to half-staff in accordance with statutory law,” Leavitt said on Tuesday.
Cheney, who served two terms as vice president under President George W. Bush, had long represented a brand of Republican politics that clashed sharply with Trump’s populist approach.
The divide deepened after Cheney and his daughter, former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, became fierce critics of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Liz Cheney, who served as vice chair of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Trump had “summoned a violent mob” and “caused a constitutional crisis.”
Her father publicly supported her stance, saying in a 2022 campaign ad that “there has never been an individual who was a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
Trump frequently attacked both Cheneys during his 2024 presidential campaign. He accused the former vice president of leading the U.S. into “endless wars” and mocked his daughter’s defeat in Wyoming’s Republican primary.
At an October 31, 2024, campaign event with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump said he was “never a fan of Cheney” but was surprised the former vice president backed his daughter over him.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in WashingtonEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Deepa Babington)
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