WASHINGTON D.C. – Former United States Vice President Richard “Dick” Cheney, one of the most powerful and controversial political figures in modern American history, died on Monday, November 3, 2025, at the age of 84. His family announced that he passed away from complications of pneumonia and long-standing cardiac and vascular disease. Cheney’s death marks the end of an era for a brand of Republicanism that dramatically expanded the powers of the presidency, an authority that would later be inherited and controversially utilized by his political nemesis, Donald Trump.

Serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Cheney is widely regarded as the chief architect of the “war on terror” following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the wake of 9/11, he championed a sweeping expansion of executive power, arguing that the presidency had been unduly weakened after the Watergate scandal. This philosophy, known as the “unitary executive theory,” posits that the president holds broad, inherent authority, particularly in matters of national security, that cannot be overly constrained by Congress or the courts.

Under Cheney’s influence, the Bush administration authorized policies that became subjects of intense global debate, including warrantless domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency, the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques” widely condemned as torture, and the establishment of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. As Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman detailed in his 2008 book, “Angler,” Cheney operated as a powerful, often secretive force within the White House, shaping decisions on everything from the invasion of Iraq to domestic espionage.

A Doctrine with Global Reach and Kenyan Relevance

The expansion of U.S. executive power has significant, if indirect, implications for Kenya and the East Africa region. Key U.S. initiatives in the region, such as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), are subject to the priorities and executive actions of the sitting president. Similarly, U.S. security policy, including the operations of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in counter-terrorism efforts in Somalia, is directed by the executive branch. A U.S. president wielding expanded emergency powers could unilaterally alter trade relationships, redirect foreign aid, or escalate military actions, creating an unpredictable policy environment for partner nations.

Donald Trump, upon entering office, inherited the powerful executive toolkit that Cheney had helped construct. He frequently utilized declarations of national emergency to bypass Congress on policy priorities, such as imposing tariffs on international trade partners and funding a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. While Cheney’s justifications were rooted in the post-9/11 security crisis, Trump applied similar legal rationale to economic and immigration issues, demonstrating how expanded powers could be adapted for different political agendas.

The Architect Versus The Inheritor

In a remarkable political irony, Cheney spent his final years as one of the most vocal critics of Donald Trump, the man who arguably benefited most from his theories of presidential power. Cheney accused Trump of being a direct threat to American democracy. In a widely publicized statement during the 2024 presidential campaign, Cheney broke with the Republican party to endorse Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. “In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney stated in September 2024. He condemned Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, calling him a “coward” who lied to his supporters.

This fierce opposition created a complex legacy: the man who did more than almost any other to concentrate power in the executive branch became a leading voice warning of the dangers when that power was, in his view, abused. His daughter, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, was also a prominent Trump critic, serving as vice-chair of the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Cheney’s career spanned decades, including roles as White House Chief of Staff for President Gerald Ford, a congressman for Wyoming, and Secretary of Defense for President George H.W. Bush, where he oversaw the 1991 Gulf War. However, it is his tenure as vice president, and the enduring debate over the balance between security and civil liberties he helped ignite, that will define his place in history.