Liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow sparked a wave of online reaction Thursday after being spotted at the Washington National Cathedral for the funeral of former Vice President Dick Cheney — a man she once sharply criticized and labeled “the maestro of terror politics.”
Maddow, seated alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci with Democratic strategist James Carville just two seats away, made an appearance that caught many across the political spectrum off guard. Her presence at the memorial for a Republican vice president whose policies she spent years attacking underscored the dramatic realignment reshaping American politics.
New York Times correspondent Peter Baker noted the moment on X, writing, “If anybody needed more evidence of how politics have changed in America: Rachel Maddow is at Dick Cheney’s funeral.” Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald echoed the sentiment, recalling how Maddow built much of her early career on harsh critiques of the Bush-Cheney administration. “For so many liberals, Cheney is now rehabilitated despite regretting nothing: solely for opposing Trump,” Greenwald observed.
The shock continued among media figures, with The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser sharing that she even “got a hug from Rachel Maddow at Dick Cheney’s funeral,” joking, “Cue the pigs flying.”
Despite her long history of condemning Cheney’s policies, Maddow offered brief remarks as she left the service. According to The Washington Post, she acknowledged that Cheney “changed the country in ways that I almost 100 percent disagree with,” yet expressed admiration for how he supported his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, when she positioned herself against President Donald Trump. Maddow described Liz Cheney’s stand as “heroic” and “humbling,” adding, “You know, we contain multitudes.”
Cheney’s funeral drew a remarkable cross-section of America’s political leadership. Former President George W. Bush delivered a eulogy honoring his longtime vice president. Also in attendance were President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, former Vice Presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, and Al Gore, and numerous prominent lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Members of the House Jan. 6 Committee also attended to support Liz Cheney, who served as the panel’s vice chair.
Notably absent from the ceremony were President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, neither of whom were invited.
The Cheneys’ political positioning in recent years — including Dick and Liz Cheney’s endorsement of Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election — has placed them at the center of an unusual political moment, one where figures once fiercely opposed now find themselves sharing unexpected common ground.
Maddow’s attendance underscored just how dramatically those lines have shifted, marking yet another example of the evolving alliances and divisions that continue to redefine American politics.
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