Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows paid tribute to former Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, remembering him on Newsmax as a formidable figure whose influence had a huge impact on the role of vice president and American politics overall.
Cheney died earlier Tuesday at the age of 84.
Meadows, who once held the same West Wing role Cheney occupied under President Gerald Ford, praised Cheney's deep institutional knowledge and breadth of experience, especially as the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks unfolded.
"Everything comes at you at the speed of light in the White House," Meadows said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "Dick Cheney, because he had served both as chief of staff and in Congress and as secretary of defense, probably had a broader résumé than most people that have held that role."
He noted that Cheney's familiarity with the inner workings of the White House made him indispensable when he became vice president under George W. Bush.
"Certainly, during the first four years of the George Bush run where he came in, he knew where all the bathrooms were," Meadows said. "He knew how the White House operated because of his time as chief of staff."
Meadows described Cheney as having defined the modern vice presidency, turning it from a largely ceremonial role into a central force in decision-making.
"Dick Cheney defined, I think, the modern role of the vice president," he said.
"We're seeing that now with Vice President [JD] Vance, who's taking a very, very active role. You have to, to keep up with President [Donald] Trump."
"But I think that that was a departure from normal times before Dick Cheney was vice president," Meadows added. "He kind of set the standard there."
Reflecting on Cheney's political evolution, Meadows pointed to the former vice president's ties to the neoconservative movement.
"He had a great impact, and I would say probably more in what they would classify in the neo con or the neoconservative kind of movement," he said.
"A lot of that has changed. You see a more populist kind of way of governing now."
Still, Meadows suggested that Cheney was uniquely qualified to serve the public, considering he was the youngest person to ever serve as White House chief of staff at age 34.
"I can only imagine, obviously, that job is a tough job, and, literally, as you were going down the list of the things that Dick Cheney served and how he served the public, a lot of your viewers had no idea," he said.
"They remember him as vice president, and they may have even remembered him as secretary of defense, but, as you stated, not only was he a chief of staff, but a deputy chief of staff, a deputy assistant to the president."
As the nation reflected on Cheney's death, Meadows summed up the sentiment shared by many who served in the same corridors of power: Cheney's influence — whether admired or debated — reshaped the modern vice presidency and redefined what it meant to serve at the highest levels of government.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.