Kamala Harris and Jill Biden were forced to sit side-by-side Thursday at the funeral of Dick Cheney, their first reunion since Harris published her campaign 2024 tell-all, 107 Days.
Cameras captured Dr. Biden pursing her lips as Harris greeted her husband, former President Joe Biden, who is celebrating his 83rd birthday today.
The Bidens’ initial greeting with Harris appeared to be cut short, as former President George W. Bush, who is providing a eulogy, arrived at the Washington National Cathedral with his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush.
Lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that President Biden said ‘nice to see you Kamala’ after Harris got her former running mate’s attention.
‘He wasn’t ignoring you,’ Dr. Biden then said.
Harris responded while pointing her finger.
‘I know he wasn’t, I was thinking you’re going to look at me, but he didn’t,’ she said, according to the lip reader.
At the conclusion of the funeral, the Bidens and Harris were captured giving their goodbyes, before exiting the front pew of the ornate cathedral.
Former First Lady Jill Biden (center) was captured pursing her lips as former President Joe Biden (left) greeted former Vice President Kamala Harris, their first reunion since Harris’ 2024 tell-all was released
Protocol dictates seating arrangements with (from left) former President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence seated front row
In Harris’ book, which was released in September, she didn’t hold back on criticizing the Bidens, detailing intimate conversations with the former first couple.
She recalled how Dr. Biden had cornered Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff at the White House‘s Fourth of July festivities in 2024, which took place days after President Biden’s disastrous debate against President Donald Trump.
Harris wrote that Dr. Biden ‘demanded’ of Emhoff: ‘Are you supporting us?’
The conversation enraged Harris’ husband.
‘They hide you away for four years, give you impossible, shit jobs, don’t correct the record when those tasks are mischaracterised, never fight back when you’re attacked, never praise your accomplishments, and now, finally, they want you out there on that balcony, standing right beside them. Now, finally, they know you are an asset, and they need you to reassure the American people,’ Harris wrote, quoting Emhoff. ‘And still, they have to ask if we’re loyal.’
Emhoff skipped the funeral – and thus the awkward reunion on Thursday.
Protocol dictates the seating arrangements, with the Bushes, Bidens and then Harris- who was attending without Emhoff – seated front row.
On Harris’ other side sat former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen.
Trump replaced Pence on the 2024 ticket after Pence wouldn’t go along with Trump’s attempt in 2020 to overturn the election.
Dr. Biden (right) is captured whispering into her husband former President Joe Biden’s ear as former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (left) watch Dick Cheney’s funeral services
Former President Joe Biden, who turns 83 today, sits with his arms crossed at the funeral services of Vice President Dick Cheney
Harris greeted Karen Pence with a hug and appeared to have a warm conversation with Mike Pence before he sat down in the pew.
She was also captured chatting animatedly with other former VPs, Dan Quayle and Al Gore.
Cheney’s funeral brought out a bipartisan collection of Washingtonians as the late vice president crossed the aisle a year before his death by backing Harris’ bid for the White House.
The former vice president was following the lead of his daughter, former GOP Representative Liz Cheney, who saw her political career tanked by Trump over her leadership in the House committee on January 6.
Cheney said in his endorsement ‘there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.’
‘He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him,’ Cheney said in a statement in September 2024. ‘He can never be trusted with power again.’
Trump, in turn, had been critical of Bush 43 and Cheney’s tenure for years, blasting them for embroiling the U.S. in ‘forever wars’ like Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a final snub, the Cheney family did not invite Trump and Vice President JD Vance to Thursday’s memorial service.
Former House Speakers Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner were on hand, as was Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Mitch McConnell, possible 2028 Democratic hopeful Representative Jamie Raskin, Dr. Anthony Fauci and MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow.
All living former vice presidents showed up, as is tradition.
It’s less expected that former presidents show up to vice presidential funerals, which explains why the Obamas and Clintons were absent – as Barack Obama and Bill Clinton never served as vice president – but Biden was on hand, as he served in the role before being elected president in 2020.
