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Trump Remains Silent on Former VP Cheney's Death.
The political silence emanating from the White House speaks volumes, a calculated void where presidential tradition once stood. For over twenty-four hours, President Donald Trump has offered no public remark on the passing of former Vice President Dick Cheney, a stark departure from the established protocol where sitting presidents, Trump included, have swiftly offered condolences upon the death of a former commander-in-chief or their deputy.This isn't merely an oversight; it's a strategic maneuver in the ongoing media war that defines Trump's second term, a campaign focused on punishing foes and cementing absolute dominance over the Republican Party. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, provided the official, sterile line during a Tuesday news conference, confirming the president's awareness and noting the statutorily mandated lowering of flags, while deflecting on funeral involvement or any contact with the Cheney family.This administrative shrug stands in sharp contrast to the president's vocal activity on his Truth Social platform, where he remained engaged on other matters in the days following the announcement. The context here is a political blood feud.Cheney, who died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and heart disease, was the very embodiment of the pre-Trump GOP establishment—the principal architect of the Iraq War, a formidable vice president who reshaped the role into a center of power, and a former defense secretary and congressman. Yet, in his final years, he transformed into one of the president's most fierce and principled critics, labeling Trump a 'coward' and the greatest 'threat to our republic.' This schism was familial and ferocious. His daughter, former Representative Liz Cheney, was ejected from House GOP leadership for supporting Trump's second impeachment, endorsed his 2024 opponent, Vice President Harris, and campaigned with Democrats, actions that prompted Trump to notoriously defend remarks that she should have 'guns trained on her face.' The elder Cheney unequivocally backed his daughter's quest to hold Trump accountable for the January 6th Capitol riots. When you zoom out, the targeted nature of this silence becomes even clearer.President Trump's responses were timely and appropriate for the deaths of former President Jimmy Carter last year and former President George H. W.Bush in 2018. The deliberate omission for Dick Cheney is therefore a political statement, a final act of retribution in a battle for the soul of a party where the old guard has been systematically purged. It’s a power play, communicated not through words, but through their conspicuous absence, signaling to every current and potential critic the cost of defiance in the modern Trump-era Republican landscape.
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#Donald Trump
#Dick Cheney
#White House
#political norms
#Republican Party
#Liz Cheney
#presidential response